A Darkened Ray of Light
by L145
Summary: [Mai HiME & Final Fantasy X crossover] Shizuru x Natsuki  Agreeing to be a sacrifice in order to save the world is a hard decision to make, yet, even if it is futile, necessity will always win.
1. Prologue

Title: A Darkened Ray of Light

Author: L145

Fandom: Mai-HiME/Final Fantasy X crossover

Pairing: Shizuru x Natsuki

Rating: PG-13 because of factors I'm not quite sure of yet

Warnings: AU, crossover, obviously

Summary: Agreeing to be a sacrifice in order to save the world is a hard decision to make, yet, even in futility, necessity will always win.

Disclaimer: Do you really think I have enough money to own both Mai-HiME and Final Fantasy X when I'm just a poor college student? Really, now... Anyway, Mai-HiME belongs to Sunrise, and Final Fantasy X belongs to SquareEnix from when it was still SquareSoft. (Trust me - if I owned that game, we wouldn't have to be annoyed by Tidus so much.)

I'm going to try to write this in a way that even those who haven't played FFX will be able to understand what happens. Except this Prologue. If people don't understand it, I'll clarify it before the next chapter, okay?

For those of you who do know and have played FFX, note that this is not a rewrite of the game. I would put this at about... 2 years before the game begins.

Title from the game script: Yuna says "...summoners and their guardians are kind of like Spira's _ray of Light_. Everyone in Spira depend on us. So, I try to practise smiling when I am feeling sad, you know?" Why is it darkened? Um, for dramatic effect?

Thanks to Guubear for putting this idea in my head with her drabble, Guardian, and then chatting with me about related topics and finally causing my mind to explode with the want to write this! That was so much fun:-D If you like the story, be sure to thank her!

Prologue

A quiet melody echoes through the room, the notes forming sorrowful phrases that, while beautiful to hear, no one ever wishes to, for its meaning is dark and lonely. No one remembers who composed it any longer, for it is as old as the earliest memories of the world. Yet, everyone still recognizes its loveliness and dreads it all the same.

It is the melody of death, of that haunting place, the place where the Summoners travel to defeat the cause of death. In doing so, they cause their own demise, a cycle that forever shall dominate the land of Spira. It is the melody of the land of Zanarkand.

But to the young girl sitting in a wheelchair, it is a song of promise, of hope that someday, this song will be feared no more. She is Kazahana Mashiro, and she commands the force that works in Zanarkand. Her prayers each day have control over the awakening of the menace that plagues the entire land, of Sin. When the cycle completes, she begins it again. That is her purpose, a purpose she has fulfilled for the past thousand years, along with her companion, Himeno Fumi.

Yet, there is another who has a part in this mystery, and that is the boy standing in front of Mashiro. He is devious and he is terrifying, yet it is unclear of whether or not he really is a bad person, even to the two others in the room.

"Nagi, has the time come?" Mashiro asks calmly, her eyes downcast.

A wild smile forms on the boy's face. "Indeed, it has. Finally, it is time for the cycle to begin again. Ah, it has been too long!"

She shakes her head looks straight into his crazed eyes. "It is not right to rejoice in the pain that is to come to these innocent people."

"And why not?" he counters, turning around to face the piano where Fumi sits, playing. "Do you forget your title, Queen of Hell?"

"I did not choose to be named as that," she answers. "Even if it is my duty to reinstate this cycle of death, I do not enjoy it the way you do."

Nagi laughs, jumping up to stand atop the grand piano, causing Fumi to halt her playing. "The foolishness of the people is what I enjoy - the false hope of those summoners sent, one by one, to face the undefeatable."

Mashiro leans forward, wishing she could stand and face him. "That hope is all they have. And someday - someday - one of them might be able to break the cycle for us."

Smile fading, Nagi flips off the piano. "And you want that?"

"Don't you wish to be free?" she asks.

He smiles, stating, "I am free." And then he jumps through the open window behind Mashiro, causing her to bow her head in shame once again.

Fumi stands from the piano bench and walks over nexy to Mashiro. "It's time for your praying, Mashiro-sama. I will help you to the shrine."

"Yes, Fumi-san," Mashiro states softly, guiltily.

Fumi wheels her over to the shrine at the back of the connecting room. She helps Mashiro down to kneel on a small pillow and then stands behind, watching the silent girl in front of her. After about an hour of silent prayer to Yu Yevon, Mashiro's strict posture begins to waver. She reaches her right arm out to catch herself, but her young body is too weak. Without hesitation, Fumi gently grabs her and pulls her back onto the wheelchair.

Her body is drenched with sweat from the intensity of her thoughts, her arms and legs weak from the lack of movement, her eyes almost closed from the exhaustion she feels, yet she still manages to sit up straight and look at Fumi. With a guilt in her eyes and sorrow in her voice she asks, "Fumi, is this all right... what we're doing?"

A sad smile forms on Fumi's face, but she wipes it away instantly and cheerfully says, "Mashiro-sama does what she has to. That's good enough for me."

Elsewhere, a huge monster arises from the sea. Its name is Sin and its purpose is only one thing. That is destruction.


	2. Chapter One

Replies to reviewers:

Thanks for reading the prologue! It was short and all background, and put together in all of, like, five minutes, but I'm glad you liked it! Hopefully, the rest of the story won't disappoint.

Okay, so we finally get to Shizuru and Natsuki now! As well as a few other HiME characters. Their ages in this story will be the same as they are in the anime, and I'll try to keep their backgrounds and such similar as much as I can, to avoid confusion.

Note that I'm trying to distinguish between the world here and the prologue. That was present tense, poetic, and slightly confusing. This is past tense, more normal writing, and I'd like to think it's fairly straightforward. Also, mostly for ease in writing, I'm dropping honorifics and most Japanese words I'd otherwise use, because I don't know what characters in the FFX world would really use when they address each other, and my Japanese is too poor to make a guess. However, there are some things I just couldn't get rid of (such as Shizuru's classic, "Ara")

It's not present in this chapter, but I will often take direct quotes from NPCs in the game. I didn't write the script - they don't belong to me!

Also, I'd like to think I know everything about the Final Fantasy X world, but I had to look stuff up. If I made any mistakes, please tell me so I don't feel so stupid - I am leaving some stuff out on purpose, though. Thanks to the Final Fantasy Wiki project for having such comprehensive articles. I learned a bunch of stuff!

Disclaimer: If I owned Mai-HiME, it would be all about Shizuru and Natsuki and if I owned Final Fantasy X, Tidus wouldn't exist. Nor would Wakka or Rikku, since I think they're annoying too.

Chapter One

Shizuru had never seen Sin before.

Well, that's really not true. She'd seen it in textbooks, heard about its destruction from the other students. She knew what it could cause, as one by one, parentless children filtered into the city to attend school in a place that was much safer than their small villages. And she knew that it was defeated eight years ago by a Summoner known by everyone, High Summoner Braska. But despite all this, she had never seen it with her own eyes.

She had lived in Bevelle all her life, raised at first by her father, then, after he went on a business trip south to the island cities and never returned, by the servants her wealthy parents had left behind. Sheltered, closed in, her only look at the outside world was to see what the lives of the other students in her small school had been before they came to Bevelle.

As was the case of her closest friend (or, rather, the person she wanted to be her closest friend), Natsuki, whose mother had been killed by Sin when she was five before her very own eyes. Her father had packed her up and sent her here, and probably, is still back in Luca with that girlfriend of his. Natsuki didn't care much for other people, especially him. But Shizuru was determined to make their friendship a more than just her chasing the younger girl around.

So, then, she was a bit surprised when a load roar sounded near one of the smaller suburb areas below the temple and disrupted her studying. Natsuki - whose only motivation for being with Shizuru was to get answers for schoolwork - stood up without hesitation and moved over to the window. Her eyes closed for a brief moment, then she turned and quickly moved to exit Shizuru's dormitory.

"Ara, where is Natsuki going? Is she leaving me to be scared all by myself?" Shizuru asked, making a big (fake) show of looking absolutely terrified.

The answer was simply an angry glare in her direction, so she sighed and stood up, a lot calmer than she seemed moments ago. She was usually calm about most things. "Will you tell me what's happening?"

Natsuki spoke quickly, annoyed, "Look for yourself," and then left.

Shizuru didn't say that's she'd rather see it all with Natsuki next to her.

Alone, she moved to the window, resting her palm against the cold glass. Far below the safety of the upper city she saw the large force threatening the small buildings below in the poorest residential district. This creature - monster - whatever Sin could be grouped under - was the reason why so much of the world (the world Natsuki grew up in, not her own, it seemed) was a place to hold such fear in. And as she thought of what it was truly capable of, a dark expression crossed over her face. Her crimson eyes deepened to a hue that was almost blood red, the pressure of her hand against the window made the glass creak, and her posture straightened. As quickly as the emotion settled in her mind, it faded, and she was left staring out at the being floating away, leaving the city unharmed.

She silently backed away, straightened her skirt, left her dormitory, and walked towards the outdoor area of the Palace of St. Bevelle. Many other students were doing the same thing as she was, running up the three main roads that lead to the staircase which at the top sits the area of prayer, but she knew their purpose was different. They wanted to pray that Sin's destruction would stop before it got a chance to begin. She wanted to stop that destruction herself.

As usual, one of the leaders of the temple was there to help anyone who needed assistance in their prayers. Priestess Yukariko was comforting a younger child, probably around the age of seven, saying, "It's all right, Sin won't attack Bevelle. Just keep praying to Yevon and Yevon will protect you..."

After a moment of letting her speak, Shizuru stepped forward and made the traditional prayer with her hands. She acted formally, with ease and grace. "Priestess, may I speak with you for a moment?"

Shizuru's tone was not demanding, but it held enough power in her inflection that Yukariko nodded, patted the crying child on the head, and stepped to the side, out of earshot of most of the people.

"Prayer will help us all more than I may be able to help you, I'm afraid. What is it that you would like to say?" Yukariko asked.

Shizuru chose her words carefully, for she would not let this be taken away from her as it was so easily given. The dark emotion flashed in her eyes for a moment, as she calmly stated, "I will become a Summoner."

—

All of the textbooks, religious documents, and even the small amount of fiction pieces that survive in Spira give the same explanation for Sin. It's a part of Spira's history, so intertwined with everyday life that it is never ignored. This is what is taught to every person in Spira:

_One thousand years ago, the world of Spira was a very different place, filled with large cities and intricate technology. In this time, a massive war broke out between the two most powerful forces ever known to exist in Spira. These were the two machina cities, Zanarkand and Bevelle. It was a long war, costing many their homes and lives, as they battled to what seemed to be each's own self-destruction. It was at the end of the war did Spira get transformed._

_Because Yevon was angry with the people of Spira for participating in such foolish acts of violence against each other, He sent a force to keep the people loyal to His teachings. He named this force Sin, and instructed it to demolish anything that stood in its path - except for the newly rebuilt Holy City of Bevelle, which, because of its prominence in the Yevon religion, has always been historically spared. Whether an attack on Bevelle ever occurred in the distant past is unknown, but historians doubt the possibility._

_The only way for Sin to stop demolishing cities and destroying lives is to completely atone for the sins our ancestors committed in the war one thousand years ago, as well as the sins we now may commit against the teachings of Yevon. One of the strictest and most dutifully followed rule is the prohibitation of Machina, which are man-made technological tools that may serve many purposes. Machina is too easily used as a weapon, and, thus, any Yevonite that uses Machina will be excommunicated._

_There is only one hope for stopping Sin's rampage, and it is only temporary (since atonement is not achieved by this method). In various locations in Spira, specifically Besaid, Kilika, Djose, Macalania, and Bevelle, there are built temples of Yevon. A man or woman may choose to go on a Pilgrimage to visit and pray at each of these temples. This person is then called as a Summoner, and is highly revered. In doing a Pilgrimage, they pray in each temple to a fayth (a spirit of the dead that is charged with the duty of helping Summoners receive Aeons), and receive an Aeon, a power that they summon. The end of their journey lies in Zanarkand, where they receive the Final Aeon. After this process is complete, the Summoner seeks out Sin and summons the Final Aeon. The Final Aeon defeats Sin and then kills the Summoner who called it forth._

_The Calm, the time between when a Summoner sacrifices him or herself to defeat Sin and when Sin reappears again, will last for a varying amount of time, but has always ended. There is always a hope and a slight chance that the Calm will not end. That is the hope of all of Yevon's Children. If the Summoner's faith is strong enough and the people of Spira atone enough, only then will Sin truly disappear._

—

Natsuki hadn't seen Shizuru in almost two weeks. She had stopped by three times to ask about a few of her classes (that she'd skipped, of course), and was extremely disappointed to find the dormitory vacant. Admitting she was worried was something she just wouldn't do - instead, she blamed her "mystery emotion" (because she wasn't really sure _what_ it was) on the fact that now she'd actually have to go to school, rather than get Shizuru to cover for her all the time. Usually, she attended classes about two times a week, and without help, would surely have been expelled long ago.

She didn't want to make a big deal out of this, so rather than stopping by the Student Council room (where Shizuru had been elected, and thus could alter her failing attendance rate) like she was tempted to do, she instead listened in on many conversations in her class. Though, she wasn't sure who'd have the most useful information - Yukino, who was also on the student council and whose best friend, Haruka, was in Shizuru's class, or Chie, the most knowledgeable gossip in the school.

Luckily for her, 16 days into Shizuru's sudden absence, Chie and her friend Aoi (who were oddly inseparable) were speaking with Yukino on that very subject. And even luckier for her, they were speaking by Aoi's desk, which was right in front of Natsuki's back row seat. She flipped open a (noteless) notebook and doodled (or attempted to, really - her art skills were much below the average for her age) as she carefully eavesdropped.

"Yukino," Chie was saying, "would you happen to know anything about why Shizuru's been missing?"

Aoi looked between the two and then weakly smiled in Yukino's direction as a sort of apology for Chie's straightforwardness. (Natsuki fought the urge to roll her eyes.)

Yukino sighed. "Well, Haruka has been a bit too angry to really do anything about it, but..."

"Is it something scandalous?" Chie guessed.

"Ooh! Did she run away with someone? That would be sooo romantic!" Aoi brightened.

Shaking her head, Yukino stated, "No, nothing like that. Actually, when I asked the Headmaster, he said she'd gone to the temple."

Aoi looked over at Chie. "Why would she go there?"

Chie's eyes widened. "If it's what I think it is, this is really big news!"

"Please don't tell anyone," Yukino said. "There must be a reason why no one knows she's training to be a Summoner."

Natsuki stood suddenly, stopping the conversation. Without a word, she picked up her notebook and pen and quickly left the classroom, leaving confused students and an extremely baffled teacher behind.

She didn't think of Shizuru as a friend, not really. She was just someone who was always there, chasing her around, teasing her, and helping her with homework. Even so, she had seen her own mother die and her father abandon her, so she wasn't really wiling to let the only other person who she ever actually spoke with be sent to her death. She wasn't that inhumane. Yet, Shizuru was a mystery to her. At times, she was a simple person, who drank tea, changed the amount of times she'd missed class in the school system, and gave her answers. But at other times, there was this odd expression on her face that she wasn't sure what to make of...

It didn't matter. She demanded a reason for why Shizuru had up and left and that's what was going to get.

Going to the temple was not something Natsuki did very often. Unlike everyone else, she didn't believe that prayer was the answer to problems, since it never seemed to work anyway. So, she really wasn't sure where to go when she arrived at the peaceful outdoor area. She looked around for some sort of sign as to where Summoners would be, and was approached by Priestess Yukariko, who was monitoring the temple grounds that morning.

"What is it that I may help you with, child?" she asked. "Would you like to pray together?"

Natsuki bit her tongue to avoid a reaction that might not be found as too proper in a place such as this. "No. I'm, um, actually looking for someone."

Yukariko smiled in response. "If you're looking for any of the Maesters, I can direct you to where their building is."

"No! I mean, I'm not looking for the Maesters," Natsuki stated, slightly annoyed at the friendliness this woman insisted upon. "I'm looking for my friend. I was told she came here."

"Oh," Yukariko nodded. "Please, let me accompany you to her."

Natsuki looked over at the woman in shock as she walked ahead. "W-wait, I never told you who I'm looking for!"

Looking back, Yukariko responded with a sad smile, "Only one person has come to us in almost eight years."

The conversation ceased then. Natsuki followed the Priestess down the Highbridge and to the building that sat atop the barred inner temple. Inside, various other men and women, mostly of acolyte rank, were busy on business from the Maesters. Yukariko led her to a room to the side, but would not let her enter.

"She is in here, but I'm afraid I'm not allowed to let you disturb her training," Yukariko stated. "I'm very sorry."

The door was built like a stained glass window, and Natsuki could peer through one of the clear pieces of glass near the top to see what was inside the secret room. As she expected, Shizuru was standing inside, holding a Summoner's staff. She wore a purple kimono with red trim, the tie around her waist was a darker violet and complete with red and yellow flowers as decoration. It was somehow strange to see her appearing so formal - yet Natsuki knew Shizuru's upbringing was no less than what she appeared to be in that room. With a sick feeling forming in the pit of her stomach, she wondered if the kimono was a gift from the temple, but she knew it was probably hers to begin with - almost like this is what she had been raised to do.

And the look on Shizuru's face was one of complete determination and acceptance, almost the calm expression she was used to seeing. But something was off with the woman inside, which was enough to be terrifying.

Natsuki couldn't watch anymore, or she felt she'd break the door down with her own two hands. She turned around, ignoring Yukariko's worried glance, and walked out of the building.

—

After five more months of having to actually attend school, Natsuki felt she was about to break from the pressure her teachers gleefully decided to place upon her. Her assignments were coming back with failing marks, and she had actually been called up to the Headmaster's office to explain the sudden change in her grades. She blamed Shizuru extensively for all the problems she was currently having, as the loudmouthed, over reactive, idiot Haruka had taken over as Student Council President, and there was no way _she_ of all people would access the school network for her.

Then, of course, any attempted contact from Shizuru would be extremely welcome at this point.

Chie had been the one to alert Natsuki to the sign posted on the bulletin board by the Headmaster's office. The gossip queen remembered Natsuki's mysterious reaction to the conversation months earlier and thought it was in her best interest to know. Rather than thanking her for the information, Natsuki simply glared as she walked past in the direction of the paper.

Indeed, Shizuru had placed an advertisement on the bulletin board - which seemed extremely out of character, since the entire school would fall at her feet, it seemed - asking for Guardians to accompany her on this Pilgrimage. Her ship to the small island of Besaid would leave the next day at an hour after noon, it read, and all were welcome to accompany her as long as they were serous about following her to the end. Added at the last minute in parentheses at the bottom of the paper was to please be an hour early.

As much as all the students loved Shizuru, they wouldn't follow her that far. Did she really not have any ideas of who to ask? Always calm, letting other people do the hard work, Shizuru was, yet she didn't even know who to ask to do the hard work here.

Natsuki skipped the rest of school that day to start packing.

--

She was early, she knew, yet Shizuru couldn't help but sit on the dock a half hour before she asked and an hour and a half before the ship would depart. She held her staff - which was still uncomfortable for her to hold - in her hands, it seeming strangely heaving this morning. Her luggage contained two spare kimonos, both identical to the one she currently wore, and a secret weapon in case the Aeons she'd soon acquire would fail her. She did not tell anyone during her training about the red bladed naginata currently hiding between the pieces of fabric.

The time seemed to pass agonizingly slow as she sat stiffly in silence. The warm sun beated down on her, telling her it was getting close to noontime, but it would still be a bit longer. The glare from the orb on her staff from the bright sun hurt her eyes as she looked at it. It was purple, like her kimono, and had a long tassel hanging from between it and the pole of her staff, just like her naginata had at the end of the handle. Her staff and her naginata may be weapons from a different class, but she knew she would use them for the same purpose.

And she also knew that she would never _ever_ tell that purpose to anyone.

Eventually, the sun settled into a place directly above her head and noontime fell upon her. At that moment, a person began walking towards her with a small bag in tow. With the glare of the sun and the distance, Shizuru had a hard time recognizing the person, but as the distance between them grew shorter, she instantly stood, almost dropping her staff.

"Natsuki! Are you here to keep me company?" she asked, forcing a smile onto her face. "Ara, Natsuki is so kind to me."

Instead of blushing furiously like she usually did, Natsuki simply set her bag down next to Shizuru's and stood facing her. After a brief moment of silence, she finally exclaimed, "Why didn't you say anything?"

_Because you would try to stop me. _"Ara, was Natsuki worried about me?"

Natsuki gritted her teeth and realized that no matter how hard she tried, she wasn't going to get a straight answer. So, she sat down on the dock next to where Shizuru was sitting moments before, glad when she sat down next to her. They waited in silence for a few moments for people to show up, but after a few minutes, Natsuki couldn't stand it anymore.

"Why are you doing this?" she blurted without thinking, causing Shizuru to glance over at her and then back towards the city.

"This is something I want to do," Shizuru responded after a moment.

Natsuki couldn't believe that going off to get herself killed was really something anyone wanted to do. "Why?"

Looking over at Natsuki again, Shizuru simply stated, "Because I want to."

Suppressing a frustrated groan, Natsuki settled herself into sitting in silence yet again. Hopefully, going on this stupid journey would make her rethink the poor reasoning for going in the first place.

After a few more minutes, Shizuru stood again. "It appears no one wishes to help me. How disappointing. Well, maybe I can get some of the crew to -"

"Idiot! Why do you think _I'm _here?"

Shizuru looked over at Natsuki in disbelief. After a moment of stringing words together in her mind (and failing to make coherent sentence), she finally managed to say, "I cannot ask you to follow me. It wouldn't be fair to you."

"Why not?" Natsuki questioned. "I'm your friend, aren't I?"

Shizuru's eyes widened more, if that was possible. Natsuki was blushing slightly from the confession, and Shizuru didn't miss that, either. Since when did Natsuki consider her a 'friend'? She was so certain that Natsuki remained distant for a reason and tried to avoid friendship as much as possible. Yet...

"I was not aware that Natsuki thought we were friends," Shizuru managed to say. "Thank you."

Blushing furiously, Natsuki responded, "You follow me everywhere - I didn't really have a choice."

Shizuru forced another smile on her face and looked up to the sky. The sun had started moving backwards now, over her head. The ship would depart soon. Gathering her small bag and her staff, she looked over at Natsuki. "I can find people to accompany me. It would not be a problem."

Grabbing her bag and standing up in one (not so) swift movement, Natsuki stomped the few steps to Shizuru. "I already told you, I'm coming along."

The captain of the ship, the S.S. Maduin, walked over to where the two girls were standing. "It's time to board. Is this all that will be traveling?"

"Yes," Shizuru stated. "The temple has agreed to pay any expenses that the two of us cause. I trust they have already told you of this?"

The captain nodded. "Please, Summoner, this way. Allow me to carry your luggage for you."

"I can get it myself," Natsuki grumbled, grabbing Shizuru's bag from her. The captain looked in surprise and Shizuru held back a giggle. Before she could apologize for Natsuki's behavior, he had walked back inside rather quickly.

Finally allowing a small giggle to escape, Shizuru stated, "Natsuki is rather protective of me. Did I worry her that much?"

"Shut up!" Natsuki exclaimed, blushing bright red and turning quickly to board. Shizuru giggled again before following her inside. As much as she hated to see Natsuki endanger herself for her sake, she couldn't help but admit that this would be a very _very _interesting journey.

AN: Um, bonus points to anyone who caught the Final Fantasy VI reference. I'm sure I'll keep sticking random references in here, just because I'm that nerdy. Review please - any suggestions for future chapters or for revisions of past ones will be considered.


	3. Chapter Two

Um, no one guessed the reference, haha! It was Maduin (mistranslated, supposed to be Madeen, like in FFIX) from Final Fantasy VI. For anyone who's played the game, he is Terra's (Tina's) father, therefore making her half-Esper. He's also one of the most useful Espers in the game at the point you obtain him (I though), teaching Fire 3, Ice 3, and Bolt 3, and dealing non-elemental damage.

Thanks to all who have been reviewing:-D I like them lots!

I'm trying really hard to keep these characters in character, but it's kind of like any AU - when backgrounds change, so do characters. So while for now Shizuru may seem like Yuna and Natsuki like Kimahri (like two of you have mentioned - and I don't disagree at this point), note that the first chapter and prologue was all intro and setting up - I didn't manage much characterization yet. This chapter is pretty much all about characterization.

And speaking of this chapter being about characterization, I actually ended up splitting what was going to be chapter two into two parts. After wrestling with the idea of calling this Chapter 1.5, I decided that would be confusing to myself, and so I added another chapter to my outline. That means this entire chapter was not supposed to happen and, thus, it's mostly filler material. s

Chapter Two

Kazahana Mashiro sits, looking out the window at the bright sun in the sky. The pyre-flies dance around the glass, beautiful visions of blue and green and pink filling her vision. They are the memories of those who have perished as she lives on. Sorrowful, guilty, she can't help but stare.

But her staring is broken as Fumi pulls her back quickly. Nagi is sitting on the edge of the windowsill, his legs dangling over... water, possibly? She doesn't know, after all these years, where her trapped existence lies anymore. The window is opened by Fumi, allowing Nagi in to speak with Mashiro.

"One by one, they begin," he laughs. "Another starts today."

Mashiro looks down at the floor. "How many have departed?"

Nagi gazes at the sun lazily, slowly counting. "Six, now. Two from Luca, one from Besaid, two from Guadosalam. This one from Bevelle."

"Will any of them succeed?" Mashiro asks.

"Yu Yevon doesn't think so," Nagi answers. "But we've been surprised before, haven't we?"

Mashiro clenches her hands together in her lap. "Does Yu Yevon bring a message?"

Nagi smiles, jumping to a standing position. "He says to remember that it is because of him that we all exist. There will be no doubting his actions."

"Thank you," Mashiro responds, still not able to look up. Nagi takes this as his cue to leave, and leave he does.

—

After the ship departed, the Captain informed Shizuru and Natsuki that the voyage would take eleven days if the weather was good and Sin did not appear. He doubted they'd be that lucky.

During the six months in which Shizuru had trained, Sin had attacked many small islands surrounding the coastline of Spira. Some of these islands were already abandoned, their villages having been destroyed years ago. Others - such as Besaid and Kilika - continued to rebuild and try again to survive the massive attacks. Such was the cycle of destruction, expected by all the people, yet feared by them as well.

But as Shizuru stood, staring out at the turbulent sea below, she thought not of these things, but of another.

One that can never be spoken of.

—

The first day of the trip south was marked with Natsuki constantly asking Shizuru questions - Why was she doing this, why didn't she say anything - Yet, Shizuru never answered the question. She simply smiled, tilted her head to the right, and repeated the same reason over and over that she had stated hours before as they sat on the dock.

Surprisingly, Natsuki had followed Shizuru around for most of the afternoon, but by evening, she had (not so surprisingly) gotten frustrated enough to sit on the upper deck by herself. She looked over the rail and saw Shizuru sitting on a crate, a member of the ship's staff talking to her. The woman was smiling, proper and dignified, as she usually was, speaking probably about something of little importance. Natsuki would never waste her time like that - especially if she knew she was going to die soon. Rather, she'd try to find all sorts of excitement - or, really, however much the annoying Yevonites in Bevelle would allow her to.

Maybe she'd visit Luca - the last place she saw her parents before her mother died - and see everything the remembered from the good days of her childhood one last time. Or perhaps she'd try to do something reckless, like dodge the bolts of lightning in the Thunder Plains. She wouldn't waste her time chatting with someone she didn't know, that's for sure. The only person she ever let herself talk to was Shizuru, who didn't want to talk to her right now, it seemed.

Of course she knew there was a reason why Shizuru was going on this foolish Pilgrimage - all Summoners had some reason, some reasons better than others. But she couldn't figure out why she was never told the reason, and, more importantly, why she even cared what the reason was.

She clenched her hands into fists at the frustration and tried to push the thoughts out of her mind. It was then that a member of the crew decided to clean the upper deck, and, thus, engage her in conversation as well.

"I hear you're guarding the pretty Summoner down there," he stated, sounding rather shy, almost to the point of stuttering.

Natsuki rolled her eyes at his obvious statement. "So?"

"Well, uh, that's got to be difficult, right?" he asked, slowly mopping the wooden floor. "I mean, there are tough fiends everywhere."

"I can handle it," she stated harshly.

He looked up in defense. "I'm not - I'm not saying you can't! You look very capable of handling it, Miss..."

Glaring at him, she refused to tell him her name. If it wasn't for the nice view of the sky and the previous lack of disruption, she'd already be downstairs, looking for someplace to go.

"Well, I'm Takeda," he said, halting in his cleaning to look at her. "It's nice to meet you."

"Oi, don't you have a job to do?" she asked. "I'm not here to chat."

He washed the floor so quickly then, that she wondered if he even did a good job of it.

—

The second morning followed, and Natsuki hadn't spoken to Shizuru at all since the previous afternoon. It was on purpose, of course. Shizuru kept sending worried glances over at her direction, but all were ignored. Again, Natsuki took her spot on the upper deck and Shizuru, gazing up the stairs leading to where she went, wondered if she was welcome up there. With a sad sigh, she realized she probably wasn't - not by the way she was being ignored - and slowly turned and walked back down to the front of the main deck. She would be as patient as she had to.

Natsuki, however, was getting bored of the ocean and the tumbling waves and the rocking of the ship and the annoying chirps of the birds and... Well, she was just bored in general. She paced back forth on the upper deck, then, when her legs grew tired, laid down in the hot sun. After feeling like she was getting completely scorched, she realized that this was probably not the best place to be in the middle of the day.

So, she reluctantly walked down the stairs to the shaded area, Shizuru watching from the corner of her eye. As she was about to go down to the basement below, she was suddenly approached - again - by the annoying boy from the day before.

"Good afternoon," Takeda said, a nervous smile spreading across his face. He coughed then, and averted his eyes from her. "I hope you're having a good afternoon."

Natsuki gritted her teeth and said, in the most polite tone she could manage, "Get out of my way."

"A-are you going somewhere?" he stupidly asked.

"Idiot! Move!" she yelled, pushing past him and walking to the side of the main deck.

Shizuru - who saw the entire thing - smiled coldly at Takeda and walked over to Natsuki. "Ara, I haven't spoken to Natsuki in some time. Has she made a new friend?"

Looking over at Shizuru in disbelief, it took Natsuki a few moments before she realized Shizuru was teasing her. A dark blush covered her face and she quickly stated. "No. Of course not."

"Really?" Shizuru smiled. "Then I'll have to have a talk with that young man, won't I?"

Natsuki had no idea how to respond to that, nor any idea of what Shizuru meant by that statement, but she nodded anyway. As Shizuru began to walk away, she grew even more confused, but shook her head and stared out across the water - which was calmer than it was the day before - and drummed her fingers on the railing.

—

For the next four days, Natsuki was surprised that every time she'd see Takeda somewhere around the ship, his eyes would widen and he'd run in the opposite direction. This behavior seemed rather suspicious, so she decided that it was best to confront Shizuru about it, even though they had barely talked the whole trip. It was still because Shizuru refused to answer any questions, and because Natsuki, though impatient, was incredibly stubborn.

"Shizuru," Natsuki stated, approaching the young woman on that sixth afternoon. Shizuru had a cup of tea in her hands that one of the crew members had made for her.

Hearing Natsuki's strange tone, Shizuru immediately turned to face her on the deck and said quickly. "Is everything all right? Is Takeda trying to annoy you again?"

"No - wait, how do you know his name?" Natsuki asked.

Shizuru smiled and answered, "I talked to him, remember? He seemed so very nice and told me his name right away."

Eyes widening, Natsuki couldn't help but exclaim, "Nice? But - but he was _completely _annoying me!"

"Well, yes... He's not annoying you anymore, though, is he?" Shizuru asked, a very serious tone in her voice.

"No, he's just running away from me like an idiot," Natsuki stated.

Letting out a relaxed sigh and smiling, Shizuru said, "Then what's the problem?" And then she closed her eyes and took a sip of the tea she was holding.

Natsuki was even more surprised at this, eyes widening in disbelief and confusion. Then, after the situation sunk in again (after about five minutes, though), she exclaimed, "What did you _do_?"

Opening her eyes, Shizuru responded, "I told you I would speak with him, didn't I? That's exactly what I did. He seemed rather taken with you, so I politely told him you weren't interested. I told him a few other things too, but they don't matter."

"Other things?" Natsuki inquired.

Shizuru sipped her tea again. "They don't matter."

Frustrated, Natsuki asked, "Like the reason you're going on this stupid Pilgrimage?"

"It's not a 'stupid' Pilgrimage," Shizuru stated, completely calm. "And that reason doesn't matter either. You should not trouble yourself over such things, all right?"

"But you're dragging me along!" Natsuki insisted.

Chuckling slightly, Shizuru blinked and said, "Ara, if I'm not mistaken, Natsuki wanted to come along. Am I not correct?"

Natsuki blushed at that statement and wondered if Shizuru had a memory better than the history textbooks back in school. The thought relating to school reminded her of how much she'd rather not have to attend it, and, thus, she gave in and answered. "I guess."

Shizuru smiled and said, "It is so kind of Natsuki to come with me."

"You do realize that you'll have to tell me the reason sooner or later, right?" Natsuki asked.

Taking a sip of her tea, Shizuru said, "Will I, now? Ara, then I'll have to think of a better one, won't I?"

"Shizuru!"

—

"Captain Faris has kindly told me that we will arrive in five days, as expected," Shizuru stated on that seventh morning.

Natsuki didn't verbally respond, rather, she simply nodded in reply. Then, after a moment of silence, she asked, "How do you know his name?"

Smiling, Shizuru said, "I know the names of all the crew. There's Captain Faris, his assistant, Navigator Sarisa, and then there's the Janitors, Takeda..."

Rolling her eyes, Natsuki didn't listen to Shizuru ramble off the names of every unimportant person on the planet. Rather, she watched the ocean below the ship as it looked darker and more turbulent than it had been in the days past. She looked over to her right and noticed a group of small, uninhabited islands, the vegetation on it moving slightly in the wind. Wait - the wind? She hadn't noticed a breeze before, yet now she realized, as she flipped her hair back, that it was getting rather annoying. Shizuru seemed to sense something was wrong as well, and she stopped speaking.

Captain Faris quickly rushed over to the two women as they stood and explained, "It's not safe up here - it looks like there is a storm coming. Lady Summoner, it's much safer down below."

Shizuru was silent, her eyes focused upon something on the distance. At first glance, Natsuki believed it to be another island, but as the ship floated closer and closer, ever so slightly in each passing moment, she saw enough to make the realization - it was not a storm that was causing the weather to behave this way. It was something far worse than anything nature could throw at them.

Quickly, she pulled her guns out from where they were hidden underneath her jacket and pointed them both at Sin on the horizon. Her arms were steady, her aim perfect, her fingers ready to pull the trigger at any moment she chose. She took two small steps forward until she was standing against the railing, giving her as much of an advantage in aiming as she could manage with the (safe) distance between them and the danger that was coming.

Captain Faris, realizing what was happening, yelled to everyone, "Quickly, everyone on deck! Man the harpoons! Sin's attacking!" And then, to Shizuru, he spoke, "Please, Lady Summoner, take shelter down in the cabin. My crew will protect you to the death."

"That's _my_ job," Natsuki grumbled in annoyance, not allowing her sight to leave her mark. After they were a bit closer - close enough that Natsuki could see Sin's eyes, yet far enough away that he couldn't attack easily - she pulled both of the triggers, ignoring the kickback from the firing. Again and again she fired, noticing that, of course, it didn't do any damage, nor deter the creature in the least. A harpoon fired from her left, giving her a moment to reload. As she choose her ammunition from her pocket, she suddenly asked the captain, "How fast can this thing go?"

Not realizing exactly what was happening, Faris responded, "It's not safe for it to go very fast, but if the situation seems to start favoring us, we might be able to outrun it."

Sin had sent two sinspawn to the ship by now, and one crew member had fallen, a bloody gash to his chest from their special spines attack. Another crew member was attempting to defend himself from them, but the battle didn't look promising.

"Get ready to get this thing moving as fast as it can," Natsuki commanded. She loaded each gun with a different ammunition and shot the two sinspawn with the gun in her left hand before turning her attention on Sin. It was gaining on them slowly, yet if her plan worked, they'd be able to make it.

"Cover your eyes!" she yelled back to everyone as she quickly aimed, closed her eyes, and fired all of the bullets she had loaded. Sin made a groaning type noise and settled down in the water slightly as the boat started speeding away. Opening her eyes, she noticed they weren't being followed. Reloading each gun with normal ammunition, she counted another two sets of flash bullets - which were the ones she had used here - along with two sets of silver bullets and one set of chrome bullets. Restocking in Besaid was a top priority for her.

Running back up the stairs from below, one hand holding something behind her back, Shizuru reached the deck, surprised to find Sin gone. "Natsuki - are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Natsuki sighed. "What do you have there?"

Rather than answering, Shizuru looked past her to see the two dead crew members laying on the ground. Nodding in a determined manner, she backed up, ran down the stairs, grabbed her staff, and ascended back to the main deck. A few moments passed, Natsuki looking over at Shizuru in suspicion. However, before she had a chance to say much of anything, Captain Faris walked over to them and averted the possible argument.

"Lady Summoner," Captain Faris pleaded, "we're about to stop on a small island. Please perform the Sending for my crew - I couldn't bear to see them become fiends."

Nodding, Shizuru answered, "Of course."

They docked, then, on a small island no larger than the size of Bevelle's school building they attended. The bodies of the two dead crew members - of whose names no one would speak - were wrapped in bright patterned cloth and in weaved wooden baskets, small flowers from around the island tied to the tops, and placed in the shallow water on the opposite side of the island than where the ship was resting. They floated there, restless, the waves rocking them back and forth, as everyone looked on in silence, waiting.

Holding the staff in her right hand, Shizuru walked out on the water, her feet making contact with the surface but never falling through. As Captain Faris lead the chant - the Hymn of the Fayth - and everyone followed in his singing, Shizuru began performing the sending. It was a ritual dance that Summoners performed to guide the spirits of the dead to the Farplane, where they would find their eternal rest. Yet, despite the grave undertone of the action, it seemed almost as a dance as she moved. Her staff twirled effortlessly in her hands, her body spun in time to the singing, and soon - soon the pyre-flies emerged from the floating caskets in the water. Blue, green, pink and yellow streams of light danced around her as a swirling column of water pushed her up, above the surface of the ocean.

In that moment, she was the epitome of grace and beauty.

Once the Sending was completed, Shizuru stepped back on the ground of the island, calm and collected. She seemed mostly unaffected by the attack and the killing. As she glanced over at Natsuki, who was staring off into the distance, she stated to the captain, "If it is not too much trouble, we would like to depart as soon as possible."

"Of course, Lady Summoner," Captain Faris responded. "We have no reason to stay here any longer. Thank you for performing the Sending for us - I'm sure their souls have reached the Farplane by now."

"You have treated us very kindly," Shizuru stated. "It's what I must do."

The boarded the ship once again, and continued their journey.

—

After watching the Sending, Natsuki couldn't help but think during the last five days of the journey on the S.S. Maduin - which was something she really didn't feel like doing during this time. Seeing Shizuru appearing so calm and serene, it seemed almost like complete and blind acceptance of what was to come. And, knowing what the future would hold, that probably wasn't far off from the truth. It was unsettling to her, yet it was also not really her concern at all.

It took, of the remaining five days, the first two to rationalize this, the second two to accept it, and the last to really understand it.

She had no business stopping Shizuru from going on this Pilgrimage. Shizuru was her friend, yes, but if this was what her friend really wanted to do - and had already accepted her action in doing so - then what place did she have to try to stop it?

It was out of character for her to simply go along with this, she knew, but after seeing Shizuru's own acceptance, she felt she had no choice but to come to the same terms on her own.

As the ship pulled into the harbor at Besaid and the population of the entire village filtered on the dock, Natsuki spoke to Shizuru below, before they walked off.

"I'm gonna - I'm not gonna ask you your reasons anymore, okay?" she forced out. "I'm sure you have one, but it doesn't matter. I'll be right here, anyway, won't I?"

Smiling in gratitude, Shizuru nodded in response, forcing herself back from pulling Natsuki into a thankful embrace. "I appreciate that," she managed to say, not betraying any of the internal struggle with self-control.

And with that, she stood up from her seat on her bed and grasped her staff in her right hand. "We should get going. I'm sure everyone is waiting outside for us."

"Waiting for you, more likely," Natsuki said in response, but led the way up the stairs and on to the main deck. As she looked and saw all the people that had gathered to welcome them, her face hardened into a look of determination and acceptance, acknowledging the rationalization she had come to was right.

—

Guess the FFV double—reference this time! Note that the reference is actually really really in context and out of context at the same time. It's confusing, I know.

Again, please review with suggestions for future chapters if you'd really like to see something. Note that I think I now have every HiME character appearing somewhere in this story (most in upcoming chapters, of course), which took me awhile to outline.


	4. Chapter Three

Well, one person guessed the reference - Congrats to guubear for finding Faris/Sarisa from FFV! I split them into two people, Captain Faris and Navigator Sarisa, and I'm still not sure if Captain Faris really is a guy or just pretending to be (like in the game). He/She is also too nice to be in character, and uses too good of grammar, so I don't know exactly what I was doing. Too much thinking!

Something is actually gonna happen in this chapter - and I think it's really neat. I've had some of the dialogue here planned since I wrote the prologue.

Thanks for all the reviews! I'm glad people like it:-D Though I'm interested to know - are any people reading this that haven't played FFX? No? Because I'm taking extra care to describe things for the people who aren't...

Oh my godddddd. I tried to end this chapter at about 3500 words, but it simply refused to cooperate. So sorry this is, like, a million and a half pages long. (5108 words and 10 pages, actually, but whatever.)

Chapter Three

From the looks of it, Besaid's entire population couldn't be more than twenty-five people. At least, that's what Natsuki thought as she led Shizuru off the S.S. Maduin. Everyone on the island had come to greet the new summoner and it didn't look like much.

One figure stepped forward from the crowd and made the sign of prayer, his robes elaborate and his stance noble. "Greetings, apprentice summoner. Word of your voyage has traveled from temple to temple and has finally reached our ears the night before last. It is pleasing to our eyes to see someone so willing to lift the burden of despair from our weary shoulders."

As Shizuru was about to respond politely, Natsuki interrupted by asking, "Wait - how do you know about us? We got here the fastest way we could."

The man smiled and answered, "When your friend here began her training, a messenger by chocobo was sent out to all the temples. We patiently await every summoner's visit and send word when a summoner does not arrive that is anticipated. You have arrived much sooner than we expected, but we do not find that to be an inconvenience. Rather, it is a blessing. Praise be to Yevon!"

Natsuki rolled her eyes at this. From his Bevelle-like refined speech, his relatively expensive looking clothing, and his obvious religious emphasis, he must be the high priest of the temple, she rationalized. Her eyes drifted off to the other people as Shizuru, smiling, conversed with him. After a moment of noticing how poor these people looked - and all the debris on the beach - she dropped her eyes to the wooden dock below and convinced herself she didn't care.

"Natsuki, let's go, shall we?" Shizuru asked, tilting her head to the right. She then began to walk into the main village, everyone who was standing by the dock following closely, smiles and looks of awe gracing all of their faces.

_Some things don't change_. Natsuki followed at a distance of about three meters.

—

A meal extravagant by the standards on the island had been hastily prepared for their evening dinner. It was likely, then, that this offering meant that the village expected them to enter the Cloister of Trials afterwards and to stay until possibly even the next evening. Such was often the case for Summoners and their Guardians, especially here at the first temple, with the first Cloister, the first Fayth, and most importantly, the first Aeon.

But Shizuru didn't seem to mind the thoughts of what was to come. She accepted the berries, the small bread cakes, and the pieces of roasted condor (which was a type of vicious bird that flew around the hillsides by the waterfalls) that were offered to her with a gracious smile. Yet her eyes seemed somewhat cloudy and Natsuki couldn't tell what that was supposed to mean. With all the secrets that were kept, she figured this was just another thing she would never know or understand.

She herself glanced at the food placed in front of them in baskets on the ground. Herself, Shizuru, and the high priest sat together, while the rest of the village filtered into fill the circle around them and the baskets, and then some sat off to the side. Besides the berries, bread cakes, and roasted condor, there was also baked piranha, though much less of that than of everything else. She piled her wooden plate high and munched quietly, noting everyone else being silent as well.

"Lady Summoner," a girl, probably in her early or mid-teens, mustered the courage to speak. "My name is Yuna. I will be a summoner as well some day. But I will be just as happy if you defeat Sin before me."

Natsuki took a closer look at the girl, this Yuna. Her eyes were shining bright, her smile wide, and her features young. She couldn't know the true meaning of her words, could she? Could she really understand the extremeness of the sacrifice she was fully willing to make at such a young age? It seemed foolish to her - foolish even that Shizuru was doing this, not to mention someone younger and much more naive. But before she could say anything, she heard Shizuru's response.

"I do hope that you never have the need to make those words come true," she stated.

Yuna seemed taken aback by this, but then said, in a voice soft and shy but even so with a tiny bit of determination threaded in, "I will do the same as my father, High Summoner Braska. It would be an honor to follow in his footsteps."

"Please, Yuna, don't say such things," the woman sitting to Yuna's right pleaded. "You would be much better off to stay in the village, learn a craft, not throw your life out there while you're only fourteen."

Shizuru looked at the woman who spoke, then asked, "And what is your name?"

"I am Lulu, Lady Summoner," she stated. "I have guarded two Summoners in the few years past and one ended only in sadness. I do not wish to see another friend of mine be led to the same fate."

"If you don't mind my asking, what was the reason the Pilgrimages ended?" Shizuru inquired, her eyes narrowing.

Lulu's expression was stoic, she didn't even frown as she responded, "My first Summoner, Lady Ginnem, was killed in a small cave near Mt. Gagazet. My second, Father Zuke, abandoned his Pilgrimage in the Calm Lands."

"I have met Father Zuke," Shizuru responded. "He visits the temple of Bevelle quite often. I am sad to hear about Lady Ginnem and I hope her soul is peacefully at rest on the Farplane."

"I doubt she was lucky enough for another Summoner to chance upon her, but we can always hope," Lulu nodded. Then, after a small pause, she stated, "If you come upon her soul as you travel, I hope you have the chance to send her - I owe her that peace."

Nodding, Shizuru agreed, "I will remember that, Lulu."

But Lulu had more to say, "Yuna came to us after her father completed his Pilgrimage. If it is her truest wish to do the same as he, I will not stop her. Yet, I hope your Pilgrimage is a success, for both her sake and all of ours."

Standing, finished with her meal, Shizuru spoke, her eyes gazing over to the temple. "I hope the same." _But for a reason different than yours. _

—

The temple of Besaid was much smaller than that of Bevelle, and completely indoors as well. It looked much poorer, also, made of simple stone and wood, and painted in dull earthly tones of green, blue, and brown. Many stone arches were built from the outside to the ground around the base to support its weight if Sin decided to attack, and a shell-like canopy supported by a large stone pillar shielded the door from the hurricane-like weather that Sin would bring. The inside was poorly lighted, and only a few statues decorated its walls. These statues were simple, and a few had chips out of them in various places.

There was an eerie silence as Shizuru and Natsuki followed the high priest through the arched doorway to the inside. He spoke to Shizuru a moment, almost in an afterthought, "Won't you tell the Maesters when you return to Bevelle to send a statue of High Summoner Braska to Besaid? I'm sure that young Yuna would appreciate seeing her father's legacy."

"I will be sure to make that request," Shizuru answered, her eyes clouded once again as they gazed at the doorway atop the stairs opposite their entry.

The high priest followed the path her eyes set and he quickly stated, "My apologies, apprentice Summoner. I am sure you would like to be on your way as soon as possible."

"If it is not too much trouble," agreed Shizuru. She followed the high priest up the few steps.

"The Cloister of Trials lies ahead. Are you prepared?" the high priest asks.

Nodding, Shizuru walked past him, Natsuki following behind. After the door closed behind them, she stated, "Ara, Natsuki's been rather quiet today. Did someone in the village cast a Silence spell by accident?"

"No," Natsuki said curtly. "I just don't have anything to say."

Shizuru looked over worriedly (but hid it right away, of course) and then stepped forward onto the round elevator. Once Natsuki followed, the floor below began to glow and they descended into the Cloister of Trials. They stepped off into a small hallway that was even darker than the entrance room of the temple itself. The walls were a greyish stone, and at the end of the hallway, a few steps away, an intricate pattern of faded green was on the wall, framed in a circle of brown. No exits except for the deactivated elevator behind seemed to lead from the room.

Natsuki walked over to the wall and roughly kicked at it. "We're stuck," she decided.

Smiling, Shizuru walked over and stood next to her. "Many strange puzzles lie within here. I trust you can decipher them?"

Noticing a slight teasing edge to her voice, Natsuki crossed her arms over her chest. "You know I don't like puzzles."

"Ara, then we are stuck, aren't we?" Shizuru mock sighed. "Whatever shall we do? I suppose we will be the first Summoner and Guardian to abandon their Pilgrimage before it really starts. What a shame. I was really looking forward to spending more time with Natsuki."

Blushing a deep red, Natsuki managed out an exclamation of "Idiot!" and started to look for a loose stone somewhere in the wall. She pulled out one of her guns and tapped individual stones along the left wall to try to find a hollow sounding place that would indicate a secret passage.

Shizuru giggled softly, a hand resting on her cheek. "I don't think you'll find anything that way."

Glaring back at Shizuru, Natsuki asked, "Well, do _you_ know what do to?"

"Well, yes, I suppose," Shizuru responded, turning the tassel of the staff in her hands nonchalantly.

"Then why don't you do something?" Natsuki asked, sticking her gun back inside her vest and leaning against the wall. She knew she was being teased, but she also knew there was no way to avoid it - Shizuru somehow managed to break through every time, and this time was no different.

Natsuki was sure she had never seen Shizuru giggle this much in one day, and it was slightly terrifying to her how the mood of her friend was suddenly so joyous in the strangest of situations. Nonetheless, Shizuru did, indeed, let out a quiet chuckle and said, "It is a Guardian's job to lead her Summoner through the Cloister of Trials. I must rest my mind before I meet the Fayth, as I am told that will be rather tiring... Ara, does Natsuki not care if I am tired? Oh, that is quite disappointing. I'm sure that-"

"No, no, I do, really," Natsuki interrupted, not really sure if Shizuru was still teasing (but rationalized she probably was). "But... can't you give me a hint or something?"

The real reason why Shizuru was so happy in such a dreary place had something to do with the size of the room and its poor lighting. For she was able to stand next to Natsuki and not have to be afraid of any emotion she suddenly betrayed, as she usually was. Her eyes were twinkling here, her cheeks slightly rosy with a blush as she studied Natsuki's shadowy frame (as she couldn't really see much else, the only light came from above the elevator, which was behind Natsuki). So, it was obvious that she didn't want to continue on, to leave this odd comfort behind to go to a place that would test her inner strength of mind.

But Natsuki's patience would run thin soon, she supposed, and so she gave in.

"This one time, I'm sure it would be all right," she teased.

Reluctantly turning to face the green pattern on the wall, she placed one outstretched hand on it. The pattern - glyph, it was truly called - began to glow bright, the lines from the center of the main diamond shape to the corners in a compass like rotation glowed brighter, north first, then east, south, and finally west, illuminating the room. As it faded, a set of words, glowing white, appeared on the right wall. The characters were of an ancient language, perhaps the ancient language of Bevelle as it emerged from the Machina War, before the entirety of Spira united under a common goal of peace.

Natsuki looked over at the glyphs in disbelief. "Those better not be the instructions on how to get though this stupid place."

"Well, then you'll have to think of something," Shizuru stated.

Suddenly, without warning, the writing darkened fading into the wall, leaving another pale green glyph behind. That, Natsuki knew how to handle. She walked over to the glyph and confidently touched the center with her palm. The pattern rippled and then she stepped back quickly as the wall rose towards the ceiling, leaving a dusty trail in its wake. Beyond a set of stairs stood, leading away from the elevator and main path. She began to lead Shizuru down the steps.

More words in white glowed on the walls, indecipherable, yet still haunting. At the middle landing of the path, another glyph shone above a decorative shelf. Natsuki touched this glyph as well, yet all that happened were the lighting of various shapes on the walls. Looking down at the bottom of the steps, and locked door barred their passage further.

Sensing oncoming frustration, Shizuru stepped forward and stated, "Ara, maybe Natsuki should look at what's _below_ the glyph?"

"What, this rock here?" Natsuki asked, before picking up the shining green sphere. As soon as she did so, the green glyph faded, and more ancient characters shone on the wall, before disappearing altogether.

"A sphere," Shizuru said. "It's part of the puzzle."

"I don't like this puzzle," Natsuki mumbled as she walked down the second set of steps, still holding the sphere. She stopped at the door, banged at it for a few moments, then turned and faced Shizuru. "Okay, how do I do this one?"

Tapping one finger of her left hand on the sphere atop her staff in a hint - that she realized Natsuki would probably not notice - she smiled, "Look at the door again."

Of course, there was a small hole in the door, right in the middle, where the sphere would fit perfectly. Natsuki couldn't believe that it would be that easy, but she tried it anyway, and to her surprise, a glyph showed on the door and it pushed open.

Walking past the door, Natsuki looked ahead to the hallway. Shizuru quickly reached and took the sphere from the door behind them and held onto it quietly. As they rounded the corner, Natsuki noticed a small bridge-like path to the wall and more words showing above it and - annoyingly - another hole in the wall. She reached forward to touch the letters, nothing happening, and then looked around for another sphere to place in the hole.

"Looking for this?" Shizuru asked, holding the sphere from before in her hands.

Natsuki grabbed it from her hands and placed it in the hole, a rather annoyed expression on her face. "Where did you find that?"

"Ara, you're the one that found it, remember?" Shizuru answered. "You put it in the door, but forgot to remove it when you passed."

"...Didn't know I was supposed to."

Again, the wall receded up towards the ceiling, revealing another passageway. It was dark inside, and Natsuki decided to walk past it and continued on the main hallway around another corner. This stretch of walking revealed glowing words on the right side and a pedestal wedged in the door on the left. Thinking that the words might control the pedestal (and very pleased in that deduction), she reached out and placed her palm on the right wall. Indeed, a green glyph showed, then faded, but rather than moving the pedestal, it lifted the wall up to show a hidden room - a room that seemed very strangely designed, with dark black walls and streams of blue light in strange patters flowing through the outer walls. The back wall - which was only a few steps inside - held a white sphere this time that seemed to glow odd shades of blue and pink, with white words dancing around where it was held. Natsuki grasped this one and turned around.

Shizuru still stood outside of the strange room. She walked and glanced around the next corner. It led to what seemed to be a dead end, so she returned back to find Natsuki looking at the pedestal in confusion. Then, she smiled as Natsuki successfully placed the sphere on the pedestal and the wall it was enclosed in faded away, leaving only the ancient words to mark its past resting place.

Natsuki looked over and asked, "Anything over there?"

"No," Shizuru answered, shaking her head. Then, she smiled and teased, "Though, I think there's something right in front of you."

Turning around to face the pedestal (in annoyance of being teased, of course), Natsuki studied it and noticed nothing seemingly strange about it - though, this whole place was strange, so that really didn't mean much of anything - and so she walked past it. There was a glowing pink light on the floor a few meters ahead, but nothing happened as she stepped on it. Walking back to the pedestal, and then back to the light, and then back to the pedestal, she couldn't figure out what was supposed to happen. In frustration, she kicked the pedestal, surprised when the pedestal moved and, with it, her center of gravity, causing her to fall.

"That thing _moves_?" she asked in surprise.

"That's what it seems like," Shizuru answered.

Natsuki stepped cautiously over to the pedestal and gently began to push it towards the light on the floor. As it finally stopped and rested atop the glowing spot, the light enveloped the entire pedestal and an elevator appeared on the floor

After they both descended on this elevator, they ended up in front of a large archway. Shizuru walked past Natsuki, entering through the archway, walking down the long carpet path with fire-lit columns brightening the way, and then walking up the stairs to the next door. Noticing Natsuki following her, she slowly turned and stated, "You'll have to stay here. You will wait for me, won't you?"

Crossing her arms over her chest and walking over to the left wall of the circular room, which was adorned with carvings into the stone walls, decorated with gold and lit up with torches. "Do I have anywhere to go?"

The answer was better than nothing, Shizuru supposed, and she gripped her staff in both hands with determination. As she approached the doorway, it opened for her, allowing her passage. At the end of a short and narrow hallway, a lit shallow dome was the central and only decoration, underneath which seemed to be some sort of beast, either paralyzed or made of stone. But she couldn't let herself be distracted by such trivial thoughts, as she had a more important purpose here with a motivation that meant more to her than anything else.

And so she knelt, and so she prayed. And as she prayed to a religion that she really didn't care about, but was forced like everyone else to believe in, the dome began to glow and a shadowy spirit of a young girl appeared. She had to have been a child, her hair in pigtails, seemingly innocent, yet not shy.

"You do not believe, yet you are here," she said softly, startling Shizuru out of her trance. "Why do you call for me?"

Shizuru looked up, no emotion betrayed on her face, and stated, "Why do you assume I do not believe?"

The girl slowly stepped forward, her translucent being not stirring the air once. "As a Fayth, I must choose who to grant my Aeon to. As a Fayth, I must be able to see the true person who kneels before me, to know he or she will not use my power for evil. I see that you do not believe."

"If you can truly see, then you must be able to see that I wish to protect this land of Spira. Is that not reason enough?" Shizuru asked, her eyes flashing dark for a fraction of a second.

"The human is a selfish being, is it not?" the girl asked. Turning around to face the back wall of the small chamber, the continued. "I have not seen a motive so pure in any Summoner who has called upon me. Even the last High Summoner, when he knelt before me, wished only for a peaceful land of Spira for his daughter to grow up in. And although you do not wish me to, I can see your motive as well."

Shizuru stood then, clutching her staff until her knuckles were white, but did not speak. She instead took an offensive stance, waiting until she felt she had the upper hand.

The girl turned and laughed, a haunting sound that echoed inside the small room. "Do not be angry. I do not care about what the motive is, just that it is worthy. Though... I do believe you will be disappointed before your journey comes to a close, but it is not my place to tell you why."

After a few moments of silence, the Fayth spoke again. "You will call upon me when you need me, won't you? Even though you have your Guardian, sometimes it will be you that will do the guarding."

"What do you mean?" Shizuru asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Exactly what I say," the girl responded. Then, she flew up a few inches from the ground and dissolved into pyrelies, which few in a trajectory ending right inside Shizuru's heart.

The light of the dome was extinguished, and with it, Shizuru's consciousness.

—

Natsuki wasn't sure just how long she was supposed to sit and wait in one place. Stories of Summoners in the Bevelle temple tell about how Guardians had to wait many hours, even as much as a day, standing rooted to the ground in waiting, hoping their Summoner received the Aeon and, more importantly, was even still alive. Patience had never been her strong points with anything, and after about two hours of waiting, she was extremely bored. Which meant that after another two hours, and then another two hours after that, she was at the point of shooting something out with her guns and she wasn't thinking about making a hole in the wall.

Okay, so maybe that was a _little _extreme, but it did adequately portray her not-so-rational thought process at the moment.

At the start of the seventh hour, then, she was extremely relieved when the door atop the stairs opened and Shizuru, standing determined - though appearing somewhat shaken, strange as that seemed - made her way down the steps until she reached Natsuki. She shook her head for a moment, then looked over to Natsuki with an emotionless smile. "Shall we return?"

Natsuki didn't express her suspicion, but she did ask one question. "Did you get it? The Aeon?"

"I did," Shizuru stated.

"Can I see?" Natsuki asked in curiosity over what took Shizuru _seven hours _to finally obtain.

Managing a small laugh, Shizuru said, "I believe this room is rather small to summon in. Let is return to the village - I'm sure the villagers wish to see a demonstration as well."

"Then let's go," Natsuki said, waiting for Shizuru to lead the way out of the room, but was confused when Shizuru didn't seem to move.

Sighing and forcing another smile onto her face, Shizuru said, "Would Natsuki mind leading the way? I have not had tea in many hours and it is causing my head to spin."

"Shizuru!" Natsuki exclaimed in exasperation. "Lack of tea will _not_ make your head spin."

But Shizuru did not answer and did not move, so Natsuki did as Shizuru asked, and led her out of the Cloister of Trials, not noticing how tired Shizuru seemed to be as she struggled to keep up.

As they exited the temple, the high priest was standing below the steps outside of the door. He rushed over to Shizuru and expectantly asked, "Have you become a Summoner?"

"I have," Shizuru answered.

"Then we must have a celebration - I will gather the villagers outside. Do show us your Aeon, Lady Summoner," he insisted, smiling widely when Shizuru nodded.

Shizuru shook her head after he walked towards the small huts past the temple. "I do wish he would let me drink a small cup of tea before the celebration begins. Would Natsuki be nice enough to go ahead and ask if someone can prepare one for me?"

Rolling her eyes, Natsuki walked down the steps and exited the temple. Shizuru then allowed herself to sit at the base of the steps, breathing heavily at the strain. It seemed however much time had passed - she couldn't be sure, but she assumed it had to have been a number of hours - had diminished all of her strength, and she wasn't sure why. Closing her heavy eyelids for a moment and then forcing them open again, she stood again, found her balance after a few seconds, and then walked out the main temple doors.

The moon was shining high overhead. They had entered the temple while the sun was about an hour away from setting, she guessed, so she assumed it had to have been over six hours that she had been inside the Fayth's chamber. Immediately, the girl from the dinner, Yuna, pushed a cup of tea into her hands and then whispered to her, "Most people take three times as long as you did - everyone's really excited. They don't understand how tired you must be."

"I will be fine," Shizuru smiled. She then closed her eyes, taking a long sip of tea.

The high priest hurried back to Shizuru. "Please, Lady Summoner, follow me."

Shizuru followed him then to the center of the village where they had ate previously. Everyone had woken to see the accomplishment, even the young children, whose eyes were wide in expectation. She handed her tea to Yuna, behind her, and put on her face her mask of indifference.

Concentrating, she held her staff in her right hand. Stepping back sideways with her right foot, she held the staff above her, her arms both outstretched. Pyreflies began to dance around her and soon swirled to the ground, forming slowly spinning glyphs of yellow and green and purple centered around her. The glyphs began to spin faster, until streams of light flew from them up to the sky, parting the clouds, making way for the Aeon that would descend. And from the sky it flew - a creature, its wings wrapped protectively around its body, until it slowed opened its wings, floating above Shizuru, who stood and gazed up at it. The Aeon was large, an ancient bird-like creature without feathers, it's wings bony, decorated in bright purple against it's pale orange body. It had large bone-like hooks on each side of its body, three on each side, a decorative set of hoops hanging from one. Moving to stand atop the ground, proud and tall, it's sharp talons made a crunching impact.

s

Valefor was its name, and as Shizuru walked towards it, it seemed to smile, as much as a creature such as it could do. With a nod of her head, it flew back up into the sky and vanished.

The villagers cheered at this display and then slowly began to disperse. The high priest offered a room in the temple to rest in until daybreak, when they would be expected to depart for Kilika. (He didn't mean it in a way to get rid of them, of course - this was just the way things were.) His offer was accepted, and Shizuru took the tea from Yuna once again and made her way towards the temple, Natsuki following not far behind.

Once inside the room, Shizuru let out a small sigh. But rather than sleeping right away like she desperately wanted to do, she said to Natsuki, "I hope you are not too upset with having to wait so long for my return. I will be more hasty in the future."

"What? No, I didn't mind, really," Natsuki lied. "You had to do it, and I'm supposed to wait. I wouldn't have come with if I wasn't okay with that."

Not quite believing the words, but for the time being letting them comfort her anyway, Shizuru shook her head and sat down on the bed at the right side of the room. "I truly am glad that Natsuki is not upset."

Natsuki gave a half smile and then turned to prepare for the night's rest herself, many hours overdue.

—

No reference this time - I couldn't find a good spot to fit something in.

Reviews are appreciated so much! Thanksya bunches!


	5. Chapter Four

Yeah, chapters are coming out slower now... so sorry about that! College exams + obsessive over-leveling in FFXII I have no life. Update like a week after writing this chapter began - I beat FF12 in the process of writing this (didn't bother to beat Yiazmat, though), but that doesn't mean quicker chapters, since now I have to choose between FF3, FF9 (Beatrix hacked SCC), FFTA, FFT, FF4 (3rd play, GBA remake), FF5 (3rd play, GBA remake), FF6 (4th play, hacked)...

Thanks bunches for the reviews! This story makes me want to bang my head against the wall a lot, so it's really appreciated.

Disclaimer (which I have unintentionally been forgetting): If I owned Mai-HiME, the first 16 episodes would be as amazingly awesome as the last 8. If I owned FFX, Lulu would be the main character, because Yuna's voice acting gets really annoying in certain scenes (Like when she confronts Maester Mika, the line, "Were they all in vain?" makes me laugh uncontrollably) (and for other reasons, of course).

Chapter Four

Much to Natsuki's annoyance, it was the smell of Besaid's famous "Water Flan Soup" that woke her up in the morning. Why was that annoying? Well, while it was true that flans were considered delicacies in many areas of Spira (largely due to their inability to be subdued with normal weapons), Bevelle was not one of those places. In fact, Bevelle had no fiends around to turn into meals, so their food there was actually _normal_, unlike this place. And being raised in Luca, where the food was also very _normal_, she was not used to this type of cuisine at all.

So it was completely understandable that Natsuki turned her head into her pillow and practically suffocated herself trying to get away from it.

"Praise be to Yevon that you have awoken!" the high priest stated as he saw movement. "The Lady Summoner left to make preparations to depart for Kilika a number of hours ago, at daybreak. Why, it's almost after the noon meal already!"

Grumbling a reply (that was completely incoherent, of course), Natsuki sat up, rubbed her eyes, ran her fingers through her hair, shot a death glare at the priest and left the room. And all of that was accomplished in under sixty seconds, surprisingly.

After searching around for where Shizuru could possibly be (and ignoring everyone's stare focused on her because - oh, she was a Guardian and Guardians are oh-so-cool because they protect the Summoner and other idiotic logic like that), Natsuki found her at the docks where they first arrived at the village. Shizuru was being given gifts from those who gathered around her, items and jewelry and good luck charms to hopefully help her on her journey. As was to be expected, Shizuru was accepting them graciously, taking each one and keeping them, thanking each person in turn.

Natsuki found the whole process almost humorous, worthy of a quick action of rolling her eyes. As she approached Shizuru, the crowd slowly dispersed and she was able to peek at the presents from the people of Besaid. There were a few sets of bullets for her, all the most common silver bullets made of ice - those she took and placed inside her vests with her others - a few small health potions, an ether (that would never be used, she was sure, unless Shizuru was hiding some magic knowledge in that secretive brain, of course), and about 250 gil. All in all, the gifts were rather tiny, but she was very grateful for the bullets (though she would never tell the people herself).

"Did you sleep well?" Shizuru asked.

Natsuki looked up, a tad bit embarrassed. "Well - um - yeah, I did. Did you?"

"I was up early, so not much, I suppose. I hope to sleep on the boat ride to Kilika," Shizuru answered, a small sigh escaping past her lips. "I have secured the vessel here to leave in an hour. It is good you are awake - I was going to return to wake you, but the villagers had to much to offer me."

"It's fine, it's fine," Natsuki said. Then, after looking for a moment at the calmness of the water of the ocean, she stated, "I'm gonna get on the boat."

Leaving Shizuru behind, Natsuki descended to the bottom area of the ship to organize her few possessions (which consisted of gil, ammo, and guns) and to get away from the annoying religious freaks that roamed around. Though... she had to admit, it wasn't as bad as the people Bevelle could get at times, but that was only because Bevelle was the religious center of the world, nothing else. And so, she carefully took apart her guns piece by piece to clean them, organized her ammo, and counted her small amount of gil (which only amounted to 800 in coin).

"I do hope I'm not boring Natsuki," Shizuru stated from behind.

Natsuki turned around, having been completely oblivious to the appearance of anyone in the room other than her. "W-what? No! I'm fine, really!"

Smiling, Shizuru stated, "Oh, that's such a relief - the ship just left and I truly am glad Natsuki is doing well. The captain says that we will arrive in four hours. I think I will have some tea and rest a bit. Is that all right with you?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't it be?" Natsuki asked, stacking a few of her gil coins before knocking them down. She repeated this action a few times, not noticing Shizuru's wistful glance and smile as she left the room.

—

When the ship arrived at the dock in Kilika (or rather, just the village, as the entire place was a dock), Shizuru remembered something.

Her father was always a nice man, helping others, giving away money that his large business earned. Yet, for some reason, he had traveled to this place (or a place that was extremely similar, since her servants would never really tell her) at one point and never returned. She could see here why that was - the entire place looked like it was wreckage. Below the surface of the water were hundreds of makeshift graves, proof of the destruction that constantly threatened. It was horrible, yet it was true, and she couldn't help but reflect as she stared down.

Her father was down there, somewhere.

She shook her head at he thoughts, not about to let herself drown in that pit again. Having spent enough time wondering where he was as a child, then realizing he wasn't coming back, she decided her mind was best to be used for other things than sorrow. Things... things like becoming a Summoner, and protecting the people (person) she loved so this would never happen again.

"You okay?" Natsuki asked, noticing Shizuru stopping in midstep.

Shizuru looked over, a flash of surprise taking over her face before she shook her head and smiled. "I'm fine. Natsuki shouldn't worry so about me."

Natsuki didn't bother to respond to that statement because she didn't feel it deserved one. She knew Shizuru didn't tell her much, yet this was just another tally on the list that proved how much distance she was kept at. At one time, not too long ago, after she had been absent a few many days more than the usual, her friend had said, 'Natsuki, I am always thinking about you. Don't forget that,' yet when she tried to do the same, she was met with this type of reaction.

It didn't make sense.

Natsuki walked forward, not seeing Shizuru's slightly relieved expression as she did so, and walked forward into the village. Numerous huts were built over the water's surface, long poles holding them into the ground the only reason they stood, tall and wavering. The straw roofing, though tied together and matted down, fluttered in the wind, and every so often, a small piece would breeze past. It was a poor town, one that was crushed before it was even rebuilt.

Just like in Besaid, the people of Kilika were waiting for them, joyfully, yet they seemed even more grateful. Some of the women - a small number, those who had somehow managed to live long enough to have grandchildren - were crying tears of joy in seeing someone who might create a world peaceful enough for their grandchildren to grow up in. It was truly a horrible sight to behold.

After they had dispersed, a young girl walked up to them. She was very happy as well, her short ponytail bobbing as she walked as much as the length would allow. "You must be tired. Please, Lady Summoner, there is an inn this way."

"We would like to rest, thank you," Shizuru said.

The girl smiled brightly at them, but did not walk towards the inn. "I'm so glad you are here! I must admit, I have a selfish hope that you'll make it to the end, but it is a wish I hold on to tightly."

Shizuru, partly out of politeness and partly out of curiosity asked, "What is your reason?"

"My name's Akane," she said with a wide smile. "And you see that handsome guy over there, helping out with the shop? His name's Kazuya. We've just decided - just last week! - that we want to get married! The wedding's gonna be in a few months, of course, but we'd really like a peaceful day for it - we don't want to worry about Sin, of course."

Nodding, Shizuru said in a soft voice, "I do hope that works out for you. I am very tired, though, and I need my rest if I plan to finish my Pilgrimage." Her eyes darkened and grew cloudy, and her expression hardened into one of determination.

"Oh, of course!" Akane laughed, giddy, not realizing Shizuru was trying to get rid of her. She then began walking. "This way."

—

The next afternoon, Shizuru and Natsuki left the main village to make their way towards the temple. It was located further into the island, likely for safety's sake, and surrounded by a menacing forest full of strange fiends. The plant-like fiend, Ragora, the stinging insect, Killer Bee, the agile lizard, Dinonix, and the mysterious Yellow Elemental would all hinder them along the way, but Natsuki had made sure her guns were loaded, and Shizuru had cleared her mind to focus on a possible summoning.

Surprisingly, the path was rather short, and they were ambushed only twice. The first time, Natsuki had been so surprised that she had fallen backwards and had been stung by a Killer Bee. Not willing to allow herself to be teased, she fired a few shots, trying not to wince at the poison that had begun running through her veins. Only one of the three shots connected, but it was enough, and the fiend fell, Natsuki failing to keep her balance as well.

"Here," Shizuru stated unemotionally, handing her a small glass bottle. "It's an Antidote - one of the villagers in Besaid gave it to me."

Natsuki grabbed the bottle out of Shizuru's hands and downed it in one gulp, sighing once she felt normal again. Her mind began working rationally at that point. She quickly noticed Shizuru hadn't teased her for making a fool out of herself, yet she also noticed Shizuru wasn't looking towards her either, but at the bright sky. Shaking her head at the inconsistencies of her friend's emotions, she stood up, dusted herself off, and walked on. Shizuru followed after a few seconds.

The second ambush, Natsuki was much more prepared - yet it was a Ragora, a highly resilient fiend, who survived two direct bullets to its body. Luckily, Natsuki was able to dodge it's ranged offensive attack and she finished it off easily with another two bullets. She felt very proud of herself, yet it did not provoke any sort of reaction from Shizuru.

"You okay?" she asked.

Blinking quickly, Shizuru cleared the clouds from her mind for the moment. She did not answer the question though, rather, she stated, "We should hurry."

And then she quickly walked ahead, leaving Natsuki there to stand in complete confusion before she hastily caught up. No more fiends appeared, and they reached the temple grounds quickly, making their way up the sets of stairs leading to the open temple, very similar in design to Bevelle's. Yet, it was made entirely of wood and stone, and painted in white and pale green - looking just as poor as the village it was near.

The high priest of the temple greeted them with the sign of prayer. "Lady Summoner, it is very good to see you. Are you prepared to enter the Cloister of Trials?"

"Yes."

"Very well then. Please, it is inside," and he pointed down a few steps.

They entered the dimly lit Cloister of Trials then, prepared. A round elevator, similar to Besaid yet red in colour, allowed their descent, and a heavy stone door allowed their passage. Once inside, they looked around. Or, rather, Natsuki looked around for anything familiar. Shizuru stood still.

There was, slightly off-center, a pedestal with a red sphere, seemingly alight with a small tail of fire such as a candle would be, sitting in it, and another door blocking the exit. Natsuki took the sphere from the pedestal and placed it into a hole next to the door, causing the door to erupt in flames. She jumped back, waiting for the fire to extinguish itself, but the hot flames continued to burn in the small area relentlessly. Natsuki fired one of her silver bullets at the fire, hoping the ice crystals surrounding the metal would quench the flames, but it did not. She tried to push the pedestal towards the door, but realized quickly that it would only move with a sphere placed on it. As a last resort, she took the sphere out of the place she had put it, and was surprised when the fire receded on its own.

She walked further inside, through the now hollow archway, and noticed another pedestal, this one with a green sphere set atop it, and an empty shelf on the wall directly in front of her. She set the sphere she was holding on the shelf to go examine the green one, but a glyph appeared above the shelf. She reached out to touch it, her palm covering the circle from which the glyph was extended from, but nothing happened. Glancing around the room, she noticed two other shelves with small holes atop them, one on each wall to her left and right. She removed the sphere and placed it on the right shelf.

They were still stuck in the room now. Natsuki took the green sphere from the pedestal and placed it below the glyph. Seeing no reaction, she put it back. The wall suddenly retreated into the ceiling, and she looked over to see Shizuru standing in front of it. _She must have done that, _Natsuki rationalized, and she followed Shizuru into the next room, which was lit with a river of fire, blocking the way to the next room.

To the left was a set of stairs leading directly to the flames, and to the right, a glowing spot on the floor and a red sphere embedded into the wall. Natsuki walked over to the glowing spot on the floor and experimentally stepped on it, surprised when the pedestal suddenly emerged behind her. She pushed the pedestal towards the glowing spot, but it simply reappeared behind her. She removed the green sphere from the pedestal and placed it back in the first room on the left ledge. Then, she grabbed the red sphere from the wall in the second room and set it on the pedestal before pushing it onto the glowing spot. Sinking below, the pedestal fell to the floor below, but the fire did not stop its burning.

The only empty hole was the one she had taken the red sphere from, so she found the green sphere again and placed it into the wall. The wall went up into the ceiling, and somehow, that triggered the river of fire to extinguish. Natsuki ran down the steps, then crossed the previously uncrossable, and then found herself in front of a door. The door was, of course, locked, with a hole the size of a sphere on its right side. Of course. So, she walked over to where the pedestal had fallen, and saw only a blue mark on the floor and a red sphere which had worked its way into the wall. Grabbing the sphere, she ran back to the door and placed it into the hole, delighted when it lit up on fire as well. She removed the sphere, then, and was finally able to pass through the doorway.

Shizuru followed, but did not speak. Looking back at her friend, Natsuki asked, "Did I do all that right?"

"It was fine," Shizuru answered, a slight smile overshadowed by a very determined look on her face. Rather than speaking more, she walked past Natsuki to the room where the Fayth would be. "I hate to have to ask you to wait for me again, but I promise I will not take as long."

She did not feel Natsuki's worried gaze follow her up the steps and through the doorway that opened for her.

The path was alight with flame, again, just as in Besaid. The corridor was narrow, haunting, and only visions of red fire could be seen before her eyes before she reached the inner sanctum. She knelt before what she assumed to be the model for the next aeon and, without even closing her eyes, began to pray, her vision narrowing on the wall before her. Expecting, waiting, she was as patient as one could be, knowing every passing day meant more horror.

Eventually she persisted and the figure of a man appeared before her, tall, strong, clad in Crusader garb of many years past. He also had a look of pure determination on his face, one he had probably worn for years.

"Finally," she breathed, standing to face him. All sense of what was deemed 'proper' in the rituals she had been taught back in Bevelle to always _always_ adhere to left her care and she clasped her staff tightly, not going to have her guard let down so she could fall unconscious again.

The man looked at her intently for a moment before he laughed. He actually had the audacity to laugh at a time like this! "I see you are more than ready for the trials ahead, yes? You remind me of myself."

Being kept from her ultimate goal for a few precious minutes, her eyes narrowed. Her staff twirled in her hands, the tassel swinging around in a large arc around the pole, dangerous, yet nothing that would harm the fayth.

"You have more time than you think you do," he stated calmly. "Yet, if you do not listen to my story and heed my words, your time may be cut far shorter than you expect it to."

Finally, through the haze that had clouded her mind since the day before, Shizuru found the ability to filter out the irrational thoughts that filled her mind and listen to whatever words he had to say. If it was a waste of her time, well, she would take care of that once his speech was over.

"I remember when I was protecting something - someone, rather. I joined the Crusaders just for that one person, whom I loved very much, and fought with that as my reason," he sighed, seemingly pained by the memory that must haunt him relentlessly. "I had been away from home in Kilika for some time, and was battling Sin with my fellow Crusaders when I saw my loved one on the battlefield - as a Summoner, you see. I allowed myself one moment of what I thought to be heroism - where I would be as a shield. By the time I had ran the width of the path we were defending, I had fallen. Because of my blind determination and foolish bravery, I had sealed my own fate."

Shizuru's grip loosened slightly on her staff, her face relaxed from its harsh expression, and she said, "I... understand what is to happen. And you must know my true motive, yes?"

"Of course."

"Then you know why I must act in such a way, as you did?" Shizuru asked, her voice unwavering.

Taking a slightly different approach to the subject, in a way to make his point more clear, the Fayth spoke, "You must know how worried she is."

Eyes widening, Shizuru took a step back. "She would not be worried about me. She should not be worried about me."

"You must realize - she is following you not out of obligation, but out of her own wanting. To see you so cold, it must worry her," he said. "She is not used to that."

Not even bothering to ask how he knew all this, she simply nodded in defeat, relaxing a slight bit more. He smiled at this, and, without warning, levitated and flew, just as the Fayth in Besaid had, right into her heart. Her balance faltered, but she placed one foot firmly in front of the other and used her staff as a crutch. Eventually, her shaking legs gave way and she fell to her knees, but did not blank. The momentary force had lessened greatly, and she was left only with feelings of exhaustion.

—

When Natsuki saw Shizuru emerge only two hours after she had entered the Fayth's Chambers, she was extremely surprised. And she was even more-so when she saw the calmer expression her friend wore, such a contrast to what had been just hours earlier. A feeling of relief filled her, though she wasn't exactly sure why (since Shizuru had been far too frustrating in the past day to deserve her care) - and she wouldn't admit it, either.

"You tired?" she asked.

Shizuru, hearing the words of the Fayth echo in her mind again, allowed herself to admit, "A little." Her voice held a different tone to it than it had in the past, once that was not so full of forced teasing or determination (or detachment, possibly).

Eyes widening slightly at hearing Shizuru admit something negative for the first time, hearing this strange (but comforting) tone of voice for the first time, Natsuki asked, "D-do you want to rest here? I'm sure the village doesn't expect you back. We can wait here for awhile."

Shizuru sighed with relief at the suggestion and sat down on the steps. Smiling what could only be a true smile of happiness, she softly answered, "I would like that."

—

They didn't return to the village until sundown, sneaking their way back as to not attract the attention of the high priest, for another display of summoning really wasn't on the list of things either wanted to do. The forest was crawling with fiends now that it was dark, and Shizuru summoned the new aeon twice to help Natsuki defeat the pesky ragoras. The Aeon, Ifrit, being aligned with the element fire, burned the plants to a charred mess of ashes with a single attack. Natsuki was very impressed, and Shizuru was also very pleased with herself.

When they returned to the village, they crossed the makeshift bridges as silently as they could (since Natsuki wasn't quite as graceful as Shizuru) and made their way to the docks where three ships were currently waiting for departure the next day.

"L-Lady Summoner!" one of the crew members on one of the ships exclaimed.

Immediately, Natsuki made an expression on her face that was a mixture of anger and caution, one that Shizuru found quite hilarious, and she allowed a small giggle to escape into the dark night.

"Ara, Natsuki, you look a little pale. Is everything all right?" Shizuru teased. She then turned her attention to the crew member that had seen them. "We would like to depart without causing a ruckus. Is it possible to leave immediately?"

The crew member nodded very fast. "Of course, Lady Summoner. P-Please, do come in. We will depart as soon as I tell the captain who's on board."

As soon as he left, Shizuru turned to Natsuki and said happily, "I've never done anything like this before. This is so very exciting - thank you for the wonderful idea."

Laughing, Natsuki stated, "I just wish we could see the look on that idiot high priest's face when he realizes we've gotten the hell out of here. And it doesn't help that I can't wait to show you around Luca - there's so much to do there! We'll see a Blitzball game, and we'll buy some overpriced merchandise, and we'll eat lots of good food and..."

Shizuru brought her hand to her mouth to cover her giggle, but her dancing eyes betrayed her. Natsuki looked over, snapped into a look of annoyance and asked, "Oi! What's so funny?"

"Nothing, nothing," Shizuru responded, calming her fit of laughter.

_It's just... Natsuki seems so happy. I will protect that at any cost._

—

AN: Guess the Final Fantasy VIII reference! Hint: It has to do with Quistis! (It's supersuper tough, though, and if you need them, I'll give hints if you PM me.)


	6. Chapter Five

All right - time to (torture myself and force myself to) write another chapter! I just bought FFVII: Dirge of Cerberus this past week and for an RPG spinoff IT SUCKS! I can't stand it! I beat it in four days and doubt I'll ever touch it again!

Thanks for all the nice reviews! Your little comments like, "I remember that! I hated that" and the like really make me giggle. I totally sympathize, because I hated a lot of the same things (Cloisters, Thunder Plains dodging, etc).

No one actually guessed the reference (though I did give out a few hints). Quistis's weapon upgrade to Save the Queen costs 800 gil. Natsuki had a cash supply of 800 gil (which will all be depleted in this chapter, haha). But, um, yes I am slightly obsessed.

Quick notes that explain stuff in this chapter - weapons here act the same way as weapons in the game. They somehow "disappear" out of battle without any explanation at all. It's annoying and illogical, I know, but it's the way things work. And for those of you who don't know much about Blitzball, think of a combination of soccer and football, but underwater. There are 6 players on each team, one goalie, two defenders, a midfielder, and two forwards. They pass the ball from one to another and try to score, while the opposing team tries to tackle the players or block passes. They can learn techniques that can either boost their statistics (Sphere Shot, for example, adds to a player's SH or shooting stat) while others inflict status changes on an opponent (Wither Tackle, for example, cuts one of an opponent's stats by half). Each player in the game has a number assigned to each stat, however, that's rather misleading to think in terms of that in real life, so here I disregard all stats and only mention status changes. The three status changes I mention are Wither (already explained), Venom (stops HP regeneration, kinda like poison, really, negating a Regen effect), and Nap (which puts an opponent to sleep). I really really really hate Blitzball, but somehow, I'm amazingly good at it. I took this awesome picture with my cell phone of my team scoring a goal every thirty seconds in the first half of the game. I got so annoyed that I pretty much didn't care the second half and let the opposing team do whatever they wanted. They couldn't make a single goal. I was so disappointed. Anyway, I also don't know anything about guns except what I was taught in Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus, so that's the knowledge I went on as I wrote the last part.

Disclaimer: I don't own FFX or Mai-HiME. If I owned FFX, I'd be Square-Enix and I'd make FFVII: Dirge of Cerberus a MILLION TIMES BETTER! If I owned Mai-HiME, I'd be Sunrise and I'd make Mai-Otome Zwei a MILLION TIMES BETTER also!

Chapter Five

The voyage from Kilika to Luca was slow, lasting about ten hours, until daybreak. They docked just as the sun was beginning to rise, the streets just as full as if it was noon. All around, people were moving quickly, loading, unloading, buying, selling, and most importantly, looking truly happy to be right where they were, without any fear.

It was a place Natsuki remembered from her childhood, vaguely, from many years ago. From the looks of it, nothing had changed. The docks fanned out from the stadium, each piled with crates of supplies and plenty of workers to load them. Standing tall and proud, the stadium rose above the buildings and noise from the crowd inside would rumble through the walls when a team scored a goal. Shops lined the streets and alleyways, anybody and everybody wanting to sell something at some outrageously high price to the unlucky tourist who happened to stop. It was a city that never changed, never rested, and always was an interesting place to be.

Even the memories it held seemed to come to life as she stepped onto the stone docks. The sun shining into her eyes, she gazed at the stadium and remembered her father taking her to Blitzball games, her mother buying her balloons from the venders, running with her dog, Duran, smiling, laughing, in a world that seemed so different from the one she lived in now.

Now... Her mother had died from an attack by Sin at one of the docks and her father had left her behind without any clue to where he might be. She had been shipped off to Bevelle with a group of orphans, confused, hurt, angry. Now... ten years later, her world was devoid of the fun and games, the smile and laughter that had been so much a part of her life for her first few years and she had forgotten what it felt like to be in a place she truly felt at ease.

Running ahead of Shizuru slightly, Natsuki turned behind and yelled to her friend impatiently, "Come on!"

It was such a rare display of enthusiasm (though still clouded with slight annoyance) that Shizuru felt compelled to do as she was asked and quickly caught up. They walked down the docks, past docks two and one, until they got to the ticket station in front of the gigantic Blitzball stadium. Natsuki walked up to look at the listings for the day and was delighted to see that she could afford two tickets to one game (though no more than that). She quickly spent 600 gil on two tickets to the game between the Luca Goers and the Al-Bhed Psyches.

"They're the two best teams there are," she told Shizuru, her eyes shining. "The game doesn't start for a few hours, but I know where there are some secret shops that my dad used to visit."

Shizuru looked over at Natsuki with slight amusement at the choice of words. "Secret?"

"Well... they sell some pretty neat stuff at some pretty high prices, so..." Natsuki trailed off, not quite knowing where she was going with her statement. She then added, "It's where dad got me my guns."

"So, they're Machina shops?" Shizuru asked, cautious with her words.

Stopping her walking, Natsuki slowly stated, "Well... kind of. Some of them. I don't really remember - I only went with my dad a few times." Then, quicker, she added, "But it's worth it to see, right? I mean, they might sell Elixirs and stuff and Yevon knows that's a hell of a lot better than those stupid Potions and Ethers we've got."

Anything that could protect Natsuki, Shizuru was fine with (no matter how many religious texts it violated) so she smiled, nodded, and said, "Let's take a look."

They walked out of the Blitzball area then, to the three way junction around the small fountain. Natsuki led Shizuru past it on the path opposite the one which they came, and they approached a tall sculpture with shops crowded around. Benches sat around the area, and a few people were resting while watching the sun rise. At this point, Natsuki looked around, saw that everyone was minding their own business, and grabbed Shizuru's hand, pulling her to the side towards a tall building. Creeping behind, they walked in a narrow alleyway behind the main shops, took a few turns, and emerged in a dead end lit with machina bulbs.

"Well, this is where it used to be. I can't believe it'd have closed-"

Natsuki's sentence was cut short when two men in white and pink striped shirts stepped behind them, blocking their exit. She spun around, noting Shizuru's attention already focusing on them. Reaching for her guns, she double-checked that they were loaded and ready to fire.

One of the men, the one which was tall and skinny, said to his friend, "Lookie what we have here! Wonder what these girls think they're doin'?"

The other laughed loudly, his hands on his pudgy waist and responded, "I wonder what the boss'll think of this. Boy, will she be proud of the loot we get offa these once we're done with them!"

The first smiled and begun to step forward. "I think I'll take the one with the guns over there. She'll give me-"

His speech was cut short by a blade at his throat. Shizuru held her naginata firm with both hands, the sharpened red blade less than a centimeter away from slicing the skin on his neck. She didn't blink at the prospect of harming him, nor at his sudden fear. She only stood tall, her eyes narrow. Natsuki took the opportunity provided to point the barrels of her guns at the other man, who stepped back quickly and yelled, "Don't shoot, don't shoot!" And then he stepped back a few more steps and called out to the side, "Boss!"

A small red haired teenager walked into the alleyway then, a machina claw covering her right hand. She glanced around, focused her eyes on Natsuki's guns, and then barked to her men, "Stupid idiots! Can't you recognize our own product? Don't harm the customers!"

The voice, the hair, the attitude... granted, it had been a long time and they were both kids back then, but Natsuki blinked her eyes in surprise and ventured, "Nao?"

Nao laughed obnoxiously before kicking the tall man from behind. He fell to the floor, avoiding Shizuru's blade, and ran away, the other one following. "Of course!" Her eyes narrowed and she brought her right hand with the claw up to her face. "Now, I have to make sure you're on our list, you see. Otherwise we will have consequences to deal with. Can I have your names?"

Natsuki lowered her guns slightly but still maintained a defensive stance. "Um, well, I'd be on the list, but she wouldn't - she's with me though, so can you put her on the list?"

Yawning (fakely) with pure (fake) boredom, Nao opened and closed her hand, showing and hiding the sharp talons she wore. In a sickening voice, she stated, "I can't do anything without your name."

Rolling her eyes, Natsuki answered, "Kuga."

Pausing in the middle of her display of boredom, Nao looked over suspiciously. "Natsuki?" she asked.

"What?" Natsuki asked, lowering her guns completely. She looked over at Shizuru, who then lowered her naginata as well at the stare.

"Nothing, nothing," Nao muttered. "Your father hasn't been around in awhile. I hope he's doing well."

Sighing with annoyance, Natsuki said, "He's dead."

Nao nodded, not giving any other reaction. "Well, I do have a few things you can purchase. And I'll put your friend on the list, since your father was such a loyal patron when he lived. I see he bought our guns for you? I can upgrade them, if you'd like."

"How much?" Natsuki asked, interested.

"Depends on how much you have," Nao responded, s sly smile forming on her face.

From the counting and recounting and recounting again on the ship from Besaid to Kilika, she remembered she had 800 gil. She had just spent 600 gil on Blitzball tickets, and she _knew_ someone as ruthless as Nao would never accept 200 gil for something so valuable. After a few moments, she admitted, "Not enough."

Shizuru spoke then, for the first time since they had entered the alleyway. "I think Natsuki has forgotten something. So many kind people have given me some money in the villages we have visited, she must remember? And she must also know that fiends drop some coins behind when they perish?"

Having forgotten, Natsuki blushed. "I - well - yes, I guess."

"Then... Nao, was it? Why don't you name a price?" Shizuru asked, her voice seemingly matching the tone Nao had set.

Nao chuckled slightly. "Confident, aren't you?" she asked. "10,000 gil."

"Now, now, one would not want to hinder a Summoner too much, would she? After all, If I fall because I did not have enough gil for an X-Potion, it would be truly be a tragedy, wouldn't it?" Shizuru asked, a slight frown forming on her face. Natsuki knew better than this - Shizuru was being rather mischievous here.

Gritting her teeth, Nao offered, "8500."

Shizuru smiled, took out a handful of coins, counted them and then held them out. "8000. No more."

"Fine," Nao said, snatching the coins and placing them in her pocket. She then held her hand out for the guns, and Natsuki reluctantly parted with them. "I'll have them back this evening. If you'd like anything else, those idiot boys that almost killed you have a list of our wares. We do have X-Potions, now that you mention them, _Lady Summoner_." Her tone was filled with sarcasm at the last part, but neither Shizuru nor Natsuki seemed to mind too much.

"I think that will be all," Shizuru smiled, tapping the blade of her naginata against the ground. "Thank you."

Nao glared back but quickly ran around the corner and disappeared, her men following. Looking back over to Shizuru, Natsuki walked around to face her and stared at the massive weapon held in her friend's hands. "Shizuru... where did you get that?"

"I've had it for some time," Shizuru answered. Then, smiling slightly, she mentioned, "I can't really summon in a crowded place here, can I?"

Natsuki sighed and nodded in agreement. "No, guess not. But anyway - the game starts in a few hours, so let's find something to do."

Watching Natsuki run off and then following her after a few moments, Shizuru couldn't help but let out a short giggle. _Natsuki is acting like such a cute little girl!_ She tucked her naginata away and quickly caught up, the both of them returning to the main circular area right as the main shops began to open their doors. A cafe off to the side was advertising a special frothy drink, the balloon venders had tonberry-shaped toys for sale, and a few street vendors wheeled carts around with specialty souvenir wares, such as hats or signed pictures of the players in today's games.

Bevelle was larger than this, but it wasn't as busy. Rather, people would wander around slowly, almost trance-like in comparison to this. Instead of the center of attention being an amusement building, it was the Temple. Merchandise supporting the Temple really wasn't necessary nor wanted - it was simply the visit itself that was enough. Here, the game provided a sense of spontaneity, and people dug in their pockets until they scrounged up their last coin to pay for a small keepsake for a child back home, a short-lived memory before destruction claimed them all. It was a place of different opportunities, yet, it held the same intentions.

Natsuki placed a small moogle doll in Shizuru's hands. "I know we don't have room for it, but it was cheap," was all she said, before counting her change (75 gil) and moving on.

The doll was small and had a small spot of dirt on its side, but it was the only gift Shizuru had ever received from Natsuki in their few years of knowing each other. She placed the doll in a pocket and smiled to herself as she patted the spot which it sat in.

"Oi! Shizuru! Do we have enough for these?" Natsuki yelled over as she was stopped at another vendor selling a bubbling flavored drink of some sort. They came in a few colors, such as blue and green, and looked altogether unappetizing. But Natsuki insisted, "I remember mom buying these for me if the team we cheered for won their game. They're really good and only 50 gil each!"

Seeing the far away excitement in Natsuki's eyes, Shizuru couldn't help but drop a few coins in the vendor's hand and let Natsuki pick out one for each of them. As she took the cold beverage - purple for her - and took a sip, she could see out of the corner of her eye Natsuki gulping hers - red - down like water. To be honest, it was too strong for her, filled with too much sugar - she preferred the more natural taste of tea or the plainness of water - so after attempting a few more sips, she handed the glass to Natsuki, who, eyes shining, finished it quickly.

In afterthought, Natsuki asked, "You sure you didn't want it?"

Shizuru nodded. She glanced around the area before asking, "Is there anything else you'd like?"

Natsuki looked up at the sky for a moment, full clouds sailing past the bright blue sky. A few balloons had escaped from the grasps of little children and were floating freely into the sun. Turning back to Shizuru, she answered, "Not really. We can't carry them with us, anyway. Might as well wander towards the stadium."

And wander they did - passing by shops and gazing inside, staring at the people who held more packages than they could carry, and trying to enjoy a day that would never come again. They used up quite a bit of time, and by the time they reached the stadium, the ticket sellers were announcing the match beginning soon. In a hurry, Natsuki tugged Shizuru up the stairs, handed their tickets to the guards inside, and made their way to their seats. One advantage of buying their tickets early was getting good seats, and good seats they had - right in the front row on the center line of the empty sphere that was the playing field. They were rather late, though, and everyone else in that row had already seated.

"You'll have to explain the rules to me," Shizuru said to her right, where Natsuki was sitting. "I've never seen a Blitzball game before."

"Never seen a game?" the girl to her left asked in surprise. "_Everyone's_ seen a Blitzball game before."

And then the boy to her left made an apologetic face towards Shizuru and scolded the girl. "Shiho, be nice!"

Shiho pouted, her four pink pigtails bobbing as she sunk in her seat. "Why? I don't care anymore! Yuuichi's gone off with your sister and I may never see him again! It's all her fault, Takumi!"

Blinking, not quite sure what to say, Natsuki looked around for something to focus on, but seeing as the argument between the two teens was the most interesting thing happening in the stadium at this point, she looked out of the corner of her eye.

Shizuru then looked over at the two and asked, "Your friend will be coming back, yes?"

Sighing, Takumi answered for Shiho, saying, "He's a Guardian for my sister, who's a Summoner, so no one can be sure. I'm trying to cheer her up by bringing her to the game, since a good friend of ours is playing on the Goers."

"You have a friend who plays Blitzball for real?" Natsuki looked over suddenly, leaning forward in her seat to get a better look. "Who?"

"He-His name is Akira. He's really good, you'll see," Takumi smiled widely, a slight blush appearing on his cheeks. "You'll notice him right away. Sh-He's the one with the green hair."

If Shizuru noticed the mistake in Takumi's speech, she didn't mention it. She instead smiled back and said, "I'll watch for him, but unless someone tells me what's going on, I won't know how good he truly is."

Rolling her eyes, Shiho summed up the game nicely in a few whiny sentences. "The stupid guys on the stupid teams try to swim with the ball and land it in the opposite goal. They have to be careful, though, or they'll be poisoned or withered or put to sleep or something else stupid like that."

Takumi chuckled, but nodded in agreement at the basic description. "Akira's really good at putting the opposing team to sleep - you'll notice that right away. When they're asleep they won't move at all."

Suddenly, the sphere before their eyes filled to the brim with clear water and the voices of two men could be heard echoing through the stadium.

"_This is it, folks! The first game of the day!"_

"_It's our very own Luca Goers who won the cup last year against the second place team - the Al Bhed Psyches! Any predictions, Bobba?"_

"_I'm not sure, Jimma. It really could be either of them. But you know me - I'm cheering for the home team - the Goers!"_

Natsuki whispered over to Shizuru, "Even the announcers are still the same!"

"_And now, the Goers are entering the Sphere Pool! Let's cheer loud for Bickson, the team Captain! Raudy, the Goalie! Abus! Graav! Balgerda! And let's not forget our 'secret ninja', Akira!"_

"_They certainly look ready to win this one, Bobba. But here come the Psyches, just as ready to score the winning goal as the Goers! Let's give a warm welcome to Eigaar! Blappa! Berrik! Judda! Lakkam! And their Goalie, Nimrook!"_

The crowd erupted in cheers for the two teams. Natsuki stood with the rest, and then tugged on Shizuru's arm until she stood as well. By the time Shizuru had gotten to her feet and joined in the clapping, the crowd had died down and most people had sat back down. In fact, the only two people still standing in their row were Takumi and Natsuki, who quickly sat down when their companions alerted them in whichever way they pleased (Shiho by pulling Takumi down violently, crossing her arms over her chest when she was done, and Shizuru by whispering, "Ara, Natsuki is the center of attention now, being the only one standing!" in Natsuki's ear, causing - of course - a huge blush to appear).

"_Jimma, I've got to say, this is going to be quite the game! The teams are already itching to move out of their starting positions and get on with it."_

"_And they're about to get their way, Bobba. The ball will be tossed in three... two..."_

With a splash, Graav and Berrik jumped up to catch the ball and with only centimeters separating their chance of catching it, Berrik kicked up and pulled it away. He then swam back a slight bit and the teams scattered in all directions.

"_The Psyches have got the ball, folks! Berrik seems to be looking for an outlet to pass to. Jimma, what do you think?"_

"_Blappa's wide open now, but Eigaar seems to have a few Goers covering him. Berrik makes a pass and-"_

Takumi leaned over to Shizuru's seat and pointed in the direction of the pass. "Look!"

And indeed, from almost out of nowhere, a player with green hair - just as Takumi had described - jumped up an grabbed the ball from it's trajectory and began swimming towards the opposite goal. The Psyches were so dumbfounded, it took almost 10 seconds before they reacted and began to chase the offending player, but they were too slow. In almost a blur, Akira had zoomed towards the goal and shot a hit square in the goalie's chest - putting him to sleep.

"A Nap Shot?" Natsuki asked. "They're not too common - most players use Venom Shots or Wither Shots."

Takumi beamed. "Akira is good at what sh-he does - his Nap Shots and Nap Passes never miss."

Noticing the slip of the tongue, Shizuru stared hard at Akira as he - or possibly she, with the way Takumi was acting? - swam close to their side of the sphere pool and smiled widely at Takumi. Smiling slightly to herself, her perceptiveness caught a few things that made certain an interesting conversation would ensue after the game.

"_Akira's done it again, folks! Can the Psyches recover?" _

"_I don't know, Bobba, they're really at a disadvantage right now. If any of the Goers shoot this half, they'll score."_

"_The Psyches really don't have much of a choice now but to go completely defensive. They've got the ball now, so let's see what they do!"_

The rest of the game flew past rather quickly - Akira scored a number of goals during both halves of the game, and the Psyches didn't manage to get past the defense the "secret ninja" was able to put up. The odds were extremely unfair, but it was exciting nonetheless. Natsuki's eyes were wide during the whole game, glued to the scenes playing out before her, and Shizuru saw so many expressions on her friend's face that she had never seen before. She herself, was indifferent to the game, but was glad she got to see one with Natsuki at her side.

"You didn't cheer me up at all," Shiho pouted, standing and turning so her back faced the Sphere Pool.

Takumi sighed and said, "It was the only thing I could think of - Mai told me you really liked Blitzball."

"Yuuichi wanted to be a Blitzball player when he was younger, so I liked going to games _with him_, not just games in general," Shiho responded, beginning to walk off.

Before Takumi could follow her, Shizuru leaned over and whispered in his ear. "Akira really was something, wasn't she?" and then led Natsuki away, leaving the poor boy looking extremely surprised - with a rather large blush on his cheeks as well.

"What did you say to him?" Natsuki asked suspiciously as they exited the stadium. (To be honest, she kinda felt jealous Shizuru was teasing someone else, but she wasn't willing to even admit that to herself yet.)

"It's nothing important, really," Shizuru smiled. "Just something about his friend that played."

Smiling and jumping, Natsuki excitedly said, "He was really good, wasn't he? He was invisible and fast and stuff like that - I've never seen that before!"

"I suppose so."

Stopping her sudden (or, really not so sudden, she considered) display of enthusiasm, she looked over at Shizuru. "Didn't you like the game?"

Meeting Natsuki's slightly worried gaze, Shizuru responded, "No, I did. I was glad we went. It's just not something I'm used to seeing, that's all - It was rather fun."

Relieved, Natsuki sighed. "That's good. I don't want to waste your time since, you know, you don't have a lot to waste."

"Don't think like that, all right?" Shizuru asked. _Because soon... it won't matter anyway._ "Why don't we get something to eat and then see if your guns are ready?"

Natsuki looked over at Shizuru in confusion. "But... Nao said she'd have them done this evening."

Grinning widely, Shizuru answered, "I think we made quite an impression on her - she wouldn't want to disappoint us. She's probably finished them by now, but we'll give her some time while we have lunch."

And, just as Shizuru had predicted, after they had eaten their lunch of meat sandwiches (on which Natsuki put a large amount of a rare substance called "mayonnaise"), Nao was finished with the gun upgrades. In the back alley, Natsuki took the guns back and looked at them. The barrel of the gun was longer, allowing for more accuracy, and a second barrel was attached to the top, allowing more shots per firing. Because of the addition of parts to the guns, both were about twice as heavy as they were originally, but there was a boost in power and accuracy for the cost - very well worth the price.

They were ready to leave Luca about mid-afternoon, to depart on the long Mi'ihen Highroad, which would lead to the short Mushroom Rock Road, which would lead to the Djose Highroad, and finally to the next temple at Djose. Shizuru estimated the entire journey would take about two days if they started walking at daybreak, or three days if they began now.

"Do you have anything else you want to do?" Shizuru asked.

Shaking her head, Natsuki answered, "No. We can get on with it if you'd like."

"Then let's go," Shizuru responded, beginning the walk up the stone steps leading to the Mi'ihen Highroad entrance.

Natsuki turned back to look at Luca, taking once last glance at a place that held so many memories - the old memories of her childhood and now the new memories she just made with Shizuru. Sighing and lowering her head slightly, she ran up to meet Shizuru at the final flight of stairs. "Let's go."


End file.
